Lionel Messi is exhausted as Germany hatch plan to stop him in World Cup final

Lionel Messi’s father claims that the striker is exhausted.

Messi is exhausted: Father

Lionel Messi’s father claims that the reason his son has been struggling in the knockout stages of the World Cup is because he is exhausted.

Argentina take on Germany in a mouth-watering clash in the World Cup final on Sunday and this piece of news does not bode well for the Albiceleste.

“He is exhausted,” said Jorge Messi.

“And (he) feels as if his legs weigh 100 kilos each.”

Messi has already scored 4 goals in 6 games and almost carried the Argentine side in the group stages single-handedly, his impact in the quarter-final and semi-final hasn’t been up to the mark. On both occasions, Argentina just about managed to scrape through to the final after a 1-0 win over Belgium in the quarter-final and a penalty shootout victory over Netherlands in the semi-final.

Germany also have the added advantage of having had an extra day of rest while Argentina had to play 120 minutes against the Dutch.

Germany have a plan to stop Messi

Messi will have to be on top of his game if Argentina are to lift the World Cup trophy after 28 years. And Germany assistant coach Hansi Flick mentioned that they already have a plan to stop the Barcelona forward.

“We saw the way Netherlands were able to keep Messi in check,” Flick said at a press conference.

“We’ve played a lot of matches against Argentina.

“And we’ve also got a plan. But we're not going to reveal that here to you.”