Lionel Messi was involved in an angry clash during his most recent outing for Inter Miami and it appears that it has boiled over onto the international stage with one of his Argentina teammates speaking out
Lionel Messi has been slammed for allegedly attempting to BAN a fellow Argentinian from being called up for his country. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star was involved in an ill-tempered clash during Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup final showdown with Seattle Sounders.
Miami eventually fell to a 3-0 defeat, with tempers spilling over come the final whistle. Messi was caught in the middle of an angry showdown with Argentina youth international Pedro de la Vega, while Rodrigo De Paul was also at the heart of things.
And it has now been revealed what Messi allegedly said. According to former MLS star Alan Gordon, he had promised to blacklist De La Vega from international contention.
Speaking on the Major League Journeymen podcast, he said: “Messi told him – remember when they got into a little scuffle during the game. Messi told him to his face ‘You will never play for the national team as long as I am involved’. He basically blackballed him on the field. This happened. That is disgusting to me.”
De La Vega has since spoken out. And while he did not reveal what Messi said, he has attempted to smooth things over by claiming the argument was just part and parcel of the game.
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He said: “Messi and [Rodrigo] De Paul? They are the greatest. They are world champions and they are my idols. The clash was just part of the game. I tried to stay focused and not take it personally. Facing them as an Argentine carries a different kind of pressure.”
Messi has of course been called up into Lionel Scaloni’s latest Argentina selection. And it could represent an emotional occasion for the forward as he prepares to play in his final World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires against Venezuela.
Asked how he plans to replace the now 38-year-old, Argentina boss Scaloni replied: “An heir to Messi in Argentine or world football? No, there can’t be one. There won’t be.
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“There may be great players who define an era, but what he has done for so long, I think will be unrepeatable. Football has many unimaginable things, but I can almost assure you that it will be impossible to see something like that. I think he has no rival.
“Tomorrow will be an emotional match. If it’s true that it’s the last game of the qualifiers, then it’s going to be special”.
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