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Argentina’s 1-0 win over Jamaica in the Copa America 2015 was followed by a scene that shouldn’t have surprised many but was amusing nonetheless. Jamaica’s Deshorn Brown approached Lionel Messi and asked to take a picture with him.
The Barcelona man later admitted his surprise at Brown’s actions but said it was nice that a colleague would ask for a picture. Another colleague of Lionel Messi, Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin has commented on the Argentine forward’s tendency to render other players starstruck.
He told Teledoce: “Sometimes we mess around, among teammates, and we say, in Spain, before playing the games, they take a photo with him. A little joke but it's the truth.”
Such is the stardom of Messi that not even his colleagues in Spain can resist the temptation of getting a picture with him. However, the Uruguayan defender was quick to add that the circumstances in South America a different from that in Spain. It could perhaps explain the difference between the free-scoring Messi of Barcelona in contrast to the Argentine captain.
“It's different in South America. There they mark him a lot more,” Godin said.
“People compete a lot more [in South America] and they mark him a lot tighter as well.”
In an attempt to explain Messi’s contrasting performances for club and country, Godin added: “[With Argentina] he has to come deeper and he has to break through two lines of players instead of just one so it is more complicated for him.
“The pitches are different, too. It's an accumulation of things that mean Messi's numbers with Barca don't translate to the national team.”
Messi’s Copa America disappointment
Argentina reached the final of the Copa America 2015 and faltered against the hosts Chile on the biggest stage in the competition. He endured widespread criticism for allegedly not performing to his best for the national team squad.
He scored only a single goal in six matches at the Copa. He also assisted three in the 6-1 win in the semi-final, however, his edge in terms of goalscoring seems to be absent.
This was the second consecutive international competition final that Argentina lost having faced Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and agonisingly losing it in extra time. It remains an angry blip on Lionel Messi's career that he has been unable to win a major international trophy despite having achieved it all at club level.
