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What's the story?
Barcelona star Luis Suarez has defended Lionel Messi over claims that the Argentine captain influences the team selection with Argentina. According to the striker, Messi allows every manager of his to make the decision by themselves, without interfering.
In case you didn't know...
Argentina secured a 2-0 win over Venezuela in the Copa America quarter-finals to set up a clash against their arch-rivals Brazil in the semi-finals. Lautaro Martínez once again proved his decisiveness as he scored the opener in the 10th minute to give his team the upper hand.
Giovani Lo Celso doubled the lead in the 74th minute after coming on as a substitute to seal the game. Brazil meanwhile, defeated Paraguay in a match that went to penalty-shootouts. (4-3 on penalties)
The Albiceleste are yet to break their trophy drought, having lost two consecutive Copa America finals against Chile, in 2015 and 2016. They have also suffered heartbreaks in the FIFA World Cup, after they were defeated by Germany in the 2014 World Cup final.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi enjoyed another stellar campaign in his glittering career with Barcelona, ending the season with 51 goals. But, the 32-year-old has not looked like usual self so far, scoring just one goal in this campaign.
The heart of the matter
With talented players like Dybala and Icardi missing out from the squad, there have been questions asked regarding Messi's influence over the team selection. Luis Suarez has rubbished those claims, stating that the Argentine usually does not utter a word when it comes to these aspects of the game.
Speaking in an interview with Fox Sports, Suarez said:
“He does not say a word. Not about a coach, a player, nothing. And in the Argentina team, I think it’s the same. There were coaches who asked him things and he would say: “No, don’t ask me anything, make the decision yourself.
We speak about these things a lot and of course it hurts him [Messi] as a human being.He takes great pride and satisfaction to want to keep showing he can continue in the national team and not give up. He will keep going until he wins something."
What's next?
Argentina will next face Brazil on July 3, in the Copa America semi-finals.
