"He always does this, as if on purpose" - Lionel Messi slams referee following Argentina's 1-0 win against Peru
Lionel Messi has taken a shot at referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio after Argentina's 1-0 win over Peru in the World Cup qualifiers. The Paris Saint-Germain star claimed the Brazilian always tries to make things difficult for his team, and questioned whether the referee's actions were on purpose.
Argentina managed to seal a 1-0 win over Peru on Thursday thanks to a goal from Lautaro Martinez in the first half. The Argentine was, however, denied a clear penalty by Wilton Pereira Sampaio, while Peru were awarded one, which they failed to convert.
After the match, Lionel Messi took to Instagram to express his anger at the referee.
"Difficult match, difficult to play. A lot of wind, they were playing deep, leaving little space for us. The referee always does this when he referees us, as if he does it on purpose," Messi said. "But well, 3 important points and we're close to our objective."
Lionel Messi's decisive hours after Barcelona exit
When Barcelona confirmed Lionel Messi was set to leave the club, it sent shockwaves across the footballing world. Diego Simeone, the Atletico Madrid manager, was immediately on the phone with Luis Suarez to check if there was a chance Messi could be convinced to join them.
"When what happened at Barcelona happened, we called Luis," Simeone told Argentinian newspaper Diario Ole on Tuesday. "I didn't call Leo. But I called Luis to say 'look, how is he? Would he be keen? Is there the slightest possibility... imagining that he could come to Atletico Madrid."
Meanwhile, PSG were also ready to jump at the opportunity to sign Messi and began internal discussions after they got a green signal from the Argentine's side. Speaking to the media about signing Messi, Mauricio Pochettino said:
"Leonardo called me and said: 'The possibility is there. Would you like it or not?' The good thing is that he called me to ask. I said to myself: 'Is it a question?' I thought it was a joke, no? Of course. And that is when the negotiation started. From then on Leonardo would call me every night to tell me how the situation was."
Lionel Messi is yet to score in the league for PSG but has managed to find the back of the net in the Champions League.