With Argentina superstar Lionel Messi having come in for a lot of criticism since the beginning of the 2018 FIFA World Cup – especially after the Albiceleste's loss to Croatia – Javier Mascherano has now insisted that the FC Barcelona man is not happy, according to Soccerladuma.co.za.
All eyes were on the 31-year-old when Argentina drew their first game of the tournament with Iceland after he missed a penalty that could have won his team the game.
Messi was also anonymous in the Albiceleste's 3-0 loss to Croatia last week, but this time it was the coach, as well as some of the other, perhaps lesser known, players in the squad, who took the brunt for their display.
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— FIFA World Cup ? (@FIFAWorldCup) June 26, 2018
“The whole team is frustrated, not just Leo Messi. We can’t put all this on Leo”@Mascherano ahead of #NGAARG pic.twitter.com/9yyJ766arz
Speaking ahead of their final Group D game on Tuesday, Mascherano has stated that Messi is desperate to show the world the real Argentina.
"Leo is fine," he said, according to Sportskeeda.
"But, as a collective, where things don't go as we'd like, we all have our own frustrations.
Showdown for Leo Messi.#HereToCreate #NEMEZIZ #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ecmaLQ66yX
— Team Messi (@TeamMessi) June 26, 2018
"He's human and he has his own frustrations, but he's desperate to turn the situation around.
"He wants to show the world a different image to the one we've shown in the first two games."
The South Americans will advance to the knockout stage if they beat Nigeria in their final Group D match and Iceland fail to beat Croatia.
