Argentina coach Mauricio Pochettino defended his teammate Lionel Messi, who was criticized for his performance in Tuesday’s Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, calling him “the best player in the world” and “football”. .

Messi does not need to be certified as the best player in the world as he has won the Golden Ball for the seventh time in a row, but he has come under criticism after his performance in the first leg of the final price. In the Continental match against Real, he missed a penalty kick, which would have been enough if he had scored to change the course of the crowd, which his team overcame with a single goal scored by Kylian Mbabane in the deadly seconds.

But Pochettino backed the former Barcelona star, saying at a news conference on Friday, “Leo Messi is the best player in the world. It’s football. If you want to explain to someone what football is, tell him: this is Leo Messi.”

Penalty kick blocked by Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 62nd minute of a match dominated by Saint-Germain, he hoped would not shake his confidence.

The Argentine coach was “satisfied with what he did, he played very well against Madrid. The team played well after studying his game. He was well positioned and sometimes exchanged positions with other strikers.”

Messi has not yet appeared on the Barcelona squad since signing a free transfer to “Park des Princess” last summer, and his resentment has grown after a sluggish performance against his former rivals Real. Madrid.

Messi was backed by his friend and former Barcelona player Sergio Aguero. My friend, but because he was good. “” He seemed active. In France, newspapers and newspapers killed him. They are fools. “

When asked what Aguero wrote, Pochettino said he “did not follow, did not read” what the former Manchester City striker had to offer.

AFP