“It’s not an honor to play against him because he is just a human” – Australia star makes emphatic claim on facing Lionel Messi in FIFA World Cup
Australian defender Milos Degenek has claimed it wouldn't be an honor to play against Lionel Messi. He went on to add that the Argentine captain is just another human.
Argentina take on Australia in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on 3 December. The clash will take place at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Ar-Rayyan, Qatar.
Speaking to the media ahead of the tie, Degenek claimed he was waiting to play against Messi at the World Cup. He is confident of facing the player, who he claims is the greatest of all time.
He was quoted by the Tribune as saying:
"You know I have always loved Messi, I think he is the greatest to have played the game. It's not an honor to play against him because he is just a human, as we all are. It is an honor to be in the round of 16 of a World Cup. That is the honor in itself."
He added:
"We have to believe and we have to be confident in our abilities to stop every attack. Whether that is going to be possible or not, I am not sure, but I know we are going to give 110% to stop everything that goes towards Matty's goal."
Lionel Messi on World Cup challenges for Argentina
Lionel Messi warned his Argentina teammates ahead of the FIFA World Cup and claimed that it was going to be tough. The Copa America winning captain claimed that they had not faced European sides and believed it would be their biggest challenge.
He told Universo Valdano:
"All national teams are tough to play against these days. Every team [at the World Cup] will be difficult to beat. We have not had many games against European teams [in our unbeaten run], although they don't like playing against us either -- playing against South American teams is tough as well."
He added:
"We are in good form going into the finals, but we can't fall into trap of believing the hype that we are favorites and will win it. We have to be realistic and go step by step."
Lionel Messi's Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in the first match of the FIFA World Cup, but bounced back with wins over Mexico and Poland to top their group and secure a place in the Round of 16.