'Messi has a different attitude with Argentina': former Argentine World Cup winning captain takes a dig at Barcelona superstar
What is the story?
Daniel Passarella, the former Argentina captain who led his team to their maiden World Cup triumph in the year of 1978, has slammed Lionel Messi for his lack of “attitude” in the famous Albiceleste shirt.
In case you didn’t know….
The all-time Argentine top scorer took a “break” from the international football after their shambolic performance in the 2018 Russia World Cup. Although he did not mention any date or time, it was expected that he will return to the squad for the Copa America.
However, Messi’s return to the national team wasn’t quite a fruitful one. The Albiceleste captain returned to the national squad just after a little shy of nine months, only to suffer a humiliating 3-1 defeat at the hands of Venezuela in an International friendly. Messi failed to make an impression on the field and looked a shadow of himself throughout the 90 minutes.
On the other hand, Messi is having one of the best campaigns of his career for his club. The Catalan giants are on track for their third potential treble in the last decade or so, courtesy to some brilliant individual performance from their greatest superstar. He has already scored 39 goals for Barcelona and provided 15 assists in just 42 appearances.
The heart of the matter…
In an interview with a Spanish tabloid Marca, the 65-year-old World Cup winner took a dig at Messi.
"He's a great player who can give a lot to any team," Passarella said.
“When Messi plays for Barcelona, he has a different attitude. He's better there.”
“Sometimes these things happen.You play well for a team and they love you, but you don't feel at ease and something doesn't fit."
"I don't know what it is, but it should be something you feel inside."
What’s Next?
Messi will miss Argentina’s next friendly game against Morocco due to his groin injury, although he is expected to be fit to face Espanyol on the 30th of March. But Barcelona wouldn’t want to take any risk considering the all-important Champions League quarter-final tie against Manchester United, which is just around the corner.