A FEW WEEKS ago Lionel Messi was being hailed as the greatest player in the world, now he is arguably the most criticised man in Argentina, as he comes under pressure from his teammates according to The Independent.
Even their patience is beginning to wane, as the superstar fails to make an impact on the Copa América and continues to under-perform when playing for Argentina.
And Messi has been confronted by defender Nicolás Burdisso over his lack of form. The pair then reportedly had to be separated after Messi reacted badly to Burdisso’s comments.
Argentina have drawn both their games – against Bolivia and Colombia – in the tournament so far, and are in danger of exiting the tournament if they fail to beat Costa Rica in their final game.
Messi has long been a figure of criticism in Argentina, partially because of his decision to leave the country as a youngster to move to Barcelona’s academy, but his father, Jorge, dismissed claims that he was unpatriotic when speaking to an Argentinian radio station.
“Leo is really down about this,” he said. “He can’t understand how this happened. It’s the first time they’ve whistled at him.”
His father went on to bemoan the “terrible pressure” that playing for Argentina constitutes and revealed that Messi rejected the chance to play for Spain at the beginning of his career, amid increased accusations that he lacked passion when playing for his country.
Meanwhile, according to USA Today, Sergio Batisa revealed in a column he writes for Argentinian newspaper Clarin that he is thinking of changing the system he employs, with Messi set to play in a less advanced role than the one he has occupied for both Barcelona and Argentina of late.
The Argentina camp appears to have become increasingly fractious in recent weeks, with reports of a bust-up between Javier Zanetti and Carlos Tevez also emerging.
