The Coach of Argentina’s national team, Jorge Sampaoli has expressed that he advised Lionel Messi not to feature during the upcoming friendly match against Nigeria.
The Barcelona star will not travel with La Albiceleste squad to Krasnodar after Saturday’s clash against Russia, and will return to Spain instead.
“I see him as being very matured and we can start a dialogue from coach to player, if I have the possibility of taking a match, at a time when he has some muscular fatigue, we will do it,” Sampaoli said at Friday’s press conference in Moscow, according to TYC Sports.
”We have to prove absolutely nothing, we have to prove it to the environment and we are on that path, I’m the one who proposed he does not play against Nigeria.
”He has never proposed to stop playing because his happiness is in the game.”
Messi scored twice as Argentina claimed a 3-2 win over Nigeria when both countries faced off at the Estádio José Pinheiro Borda in the 2014 World Cup.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
