“If he gets injured, we’re in the oven” – Argentina defender admits being ‘afraid of touching or injuring’ Lionel Messi ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup
Udinese centre-back Nehuen Perez has claimed that he is afraid of touching Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Lionel Messi in training for Argentina due to the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Perez has been called up to the Argentine national team before but is yet to win his first cap at the senior level for his country. However, the defender has been involved in multiple training sessions with Lionel Messi.
He will train with the former Barcelona superstar once again as he has made manager Lionel Scaloni's latest 28-man squad for September. The next squad that the Argentine boss will name will be for the World Cup, which commences in November.
Perez, who joined Udinese this summer from Atletico Madrid, joked that he is scared of touching Messi in training as he fears injuring him. The PSG forward is arguably Argentina's most important player going into the showpiece event in Qatar.
Speaking about training with Lionel Messi, the former Argentinos Juniors centre-back said joked to Ole.com:
"I'm always afraid of touching or injuring him, we have to take care of him, ha. If we get injured, we're in the oven, we don't have to be idiots."
La Albiceleste are scheduled to play two friendlies in September - against Honduras on September 23 and Jamaica four days later. They will begin their FIFA World Cup campaign on November 22 against Saudi Arabia in their opening group match of the competition.
Mexico and Poland are the other two teams with Argentina and Saudi Arabia in Group C.
Lionel Messi in superb form for PSG ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup
Messi is firing on all cylinders for PSG going into the FIFA World Cup in November. The Argentine team will know the importance of a fit and in-form Messi if they harbor dreams of winning the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
Messi has eight assists and five goals in 10 matches across all competitions for the French champions this season. The Argentine has barely shown any signs of slowing down. However, it would be naive to think that he can keep playing at the same level in 2026.
This FIFA World Cup could be Messi's last chance to make a meaningful contribution towards winning the trophy. Messi helped Argentina reach the final of the 2014 World Cup, only to be undone by Mario Gotze's goal in extra-time for Germany.
The South American giants were defeated 4-3 by France in the Round of 16 in Russia four years later.