PSG superstar Lionel Messi given new nickname by Argentina teammates on international duty
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi has reportedly been given a new nickname by his Argentine teammates.
Messi was named 'The Weasel' on Instagram by his teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Alejandro Gomez. They commented using the nickname on Messi's photo of him celebrating a goal after Argentina's 3-0 win against Honduras on Saturday, September 24.
The little magician found the back of the net twice, one from the penalty spot and another with a delightful lob.
His teammate De Paul commented on the photo, writing:
"How the weasel bites."
Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez commented:
"The weasel is so crazy"
A weasel is a small predator that can be very dangerous. The nickname might be referring to Messi's smaller frame yet his dangerous and decisive performances on the pitch.
La Albiceleste are set to take on Jamaica next on September 28 as they continue their preparations for the FIFA World cup 2022.
The tournament in Qatar is set to commence on November 20. Argentina are in Group C along with Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland. They will take on Saudi Arabia on November 22 to start their journey in the biggest football event of the year.
Ahead of that, Lionel Messi's side will take on the United Arab Emirates in a friendly clash on November 16.
Honduras defender shares his experience of facing Lionel Messi
While Lionel Messi scored twice against Honduras, Hector Castellanos received praise for man-marking one of the greatest players of all time.
He stated that Messi was calm and friendly towards him. Castellanos also detailed how he prepared with his teammate Jhow Benavides to get ready for Messi. Here's what he told TyC Sport (h/t publinews):
"I marked Benavides, who is good with the ball, and we try to do the brand work that he received in a match with Barcelona. They showed us so much video with what he was doing, I had to follow him and see how he was outlined.
The Honduran went on to add:
"I'm going to be super honest. Very friendly and very calm, he approaches me and he tells me, aren't you going to follow me the whole game? From time to time, he would stare at me as if he was a little annoyed, but he never said anything to me, not even rudeness."
He also had the opportunity to change his shirt with Messi.
“I take the shirt, I won a lot. We finally made eye contact and I was going to wave the shirt at him, but he remembered and nodded at me. I took advantage of the personal brand and told him."
Héctor Castellanos le hizo marca personal a Messi. Su trabajo se vio recompensado luego del partido. https://t.co/G0VEyfNHyi