"What happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch" - James Rodriguez responds when asked about verbal altercation with Lionel Messi

Colombia star James Rodriguez has refused to shed light on his conversation with Lionel Messi during the recent FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Argentina locked horns with Los Cafeteros at the Estadio Monumental on Tuesday, June 10.

La Pulga started the game, but it was the visitors who took the lead in the 24th minute through Luis Diaz. Things went from bad to worse for La Albiceleste, who went down to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez was shown a straight red in the 70th minute.

Argentina fought back through Thiago Almada, who equalized in the 81st minute to secure a draw. However, the talking point of the game was Lionel Messi's altercation with Rodriguez, where the Argentinean appeared to pass a message to the Colombian.

Speaking after the game, Rodriguez insisted that what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch.

"What did Messi say to me? Naah.. what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch," said Rodriguez.

However, according to alternate reports, La Pulga apparently said:

"You said they helped us in the final. You talk a lot."

To which Rodriguez responded:

"I didn't say anything."

Lionel Messi was perhaps referring to a previous comment from Rodriguez in March this year, where he claimed that Argentina won the Copa America 2024 unfairly. He said:

"We had an excellent Copa America. Obviously, we wanted the title, but we didn’t win the Copa America because of external things, I think. The referee favoured Argentina. He didn’t give us penalties. For me a clear one."

Argentina secured a 1-0 win over Colombia in the 2024 Copa America final.

Did Lionel Messi play the full 90 Minutes against Colombia on Tuesday?

Lionel Messi returned to the starting XI for Argentina against Colombia after starting from the bench against Chile in the previous game. However, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was taken off in the 78th minute, with Exequiel Palacios coming on in his place.

Speaking after the game, Scaloni revealed that La Pulga asked to be substituted.

"In principle, he wasn't going to come off, but when he saw that we were making two substitutions, he told me that it was better for him to come off, and I took him off, otherwise he wouldn't have come off," said Scaloni.

With a man and a goal down, Scaloni's substitution turned out to be a brainwave, with Palacios setting up the equaliser three minutes after entering the pitch.

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Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee