"He is a great person and a great captain" - Argentina superstar Lionel Messi's impact on the squad praised by Manchester City star
Manchester City attacker Julian Alvarez has hailed Argentina superstar Lionel Messi for his personality and leadership.
The Manchester City attacker has shared a dressing room with Lionel Messi for La Albiceleste over the last year and a half.
Alvarez was part of Lionel Scaloni's Argentina side that won the Copa America last year, beating Brazil in the final.
The Manchester City attacker has hailed Lionel Messi as the best player of all time and someone who is one-of-a-kind.
Alvarez has insisted that he is privileged to share the dressing room with the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. He told Manchester City's official website:
"For me, Messi is always at his best. Even when he is not he is still the best, because of what he can do. It’s magnificent."
He added:
“He is one of a kind. Obviously, having him in the team is a privilege and I’ll help him and the whole team bring joy to Argentina."
Lionel Messi with a young Julián Álvarez from 2011. Now they are Argentina team mates for the 2022 World Cup. 🇦🇷 https://t.co/C4mOlUWsJK
The former River Plate striker has hailed Messi as a fantastic leader and a great person. He said:
"He leads the group in a great way and this was reflected before the final [of the Copa America]. He said some amazing words."
He continued:
"Being there you realise that he is a really normal person, he is a great person and a great captain."
This is likely to be Lionel Messi's last World Cup, and he will be keen to go all the way with Argentina this time around.
The PSG superstar has played in four World Cups so far and went to the final in 2014. However, they lost out to Germany, with Mario Gotze scoring an extra-time winner.
Messi has played a total of 165 games for La Albiceleste to date, scoring 91 goals and providing 52 assists in the process.
Julian Alvarez could prove to be a player who can make a difference when it matters thanks to his versatility and unique skillset.
The 22-year-old has made 12 appearances for La Albiceleste to date, finding the back of the net three times.
Lionel Messi is training separately from his Argentina teammates
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have just come together to take the best picture of 2022. https://t.co/w5RoCsFYhI
As per AS, Lionel Messi was absent from Argentina's latest team training session at Qatar University on Saturday after missing training on Friday as well.
The PSG superstar can only manage light individual work as he is working on coming back from an achilles tendon problem.
However, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is unlikely to miss the opening World Cup game against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Messi has been exceptional for PSG this season and has scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 19 games this season.