Lionel Messi He is the captain of the Argentine National Teamhe demonstrates it on the field and also off it, with actions. This Thursday will be a starter against Ecuador in the quarterfinals of the America Cup After a week of uncertainty around his strong contracture in the right adductor.
It was a race against the clock in which the Flea and the medical team of the National Team worked tirelessly to leave him in condition to face the match and maintain a brutal statistic that denotes the sense of belonging that Leo has with the Albiceleste shirt.
The thing is, since he was left on the bench in the quarter-finals against Germany at the 2006 World Cuphe never again missed a knockout match in any ‘major’ tournament.
The number 10 always stood up for himself, even during the era of lost (but played) finals with the National Team and the accumulation of disappointments among the fans.
Today, Messi is a flag bearer and in eternal glory after Qatar 2022Wearing the captain’s armband, he will be on the right wing, leaving his guardian angel Di María on the bench.
Was a recovery that required intense work in the affected areawhich are often difficult to access and resolve. But the AFA team of kinesiologists and even a personal one who treated him at his home in Fort Lauderdale, when they were still in Miami, recovered him.
He trained on the field and at increased intensity the last three days, and convinced coach Lionel Scaloni to risk him, nine days after that muscle discomfort.
The Pujato coach knows that it could be a risk in the future, but Messi does not want to watch the action from the bench, as happened on Saturday against Peru.
Although the national team has already shown that it can play without its number 10, the point is that his presence is conditional, either through his direct involvement with the ball or by being a magnet for rivals, creating space that his teammates can take advantage of.
So, the starting eleven against Ecuador would be -pending official confirmation- with Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez; Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Gonzalez.
2024-07-04 19:14:22
#race #uncertainty #18year #streak #continue #force
