'When Messi is not with Argentina, it's a problem and when he returns it's a problem,' Ex-Albiceleste captain defends Barcelona star

What's the story?

Former Argentina captain Javier Mascherano has come out in defence of current national team leader Lionel Messi amid criticisms regarding his international career. He added that the world constantly finds a problem with the Barcelona star, whether or not he is in the national team.

In case you didn't know...

Messi, who has continually taken the brunt for the Argentina national team's failings, famously took a break after his home country crashed out of the FIFA World Cup last summer.

The 31-year-old made his return to La Albiceleste in the recent international break but it was far from an ideal comeback as Argentina succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to Venezuela.

The heart of the matter

Mascherano believes that Messi deserves credit for the efforts he has put into the national team so far, adding that the Barcelona captain has endured a lot in the last decade.

Speaking to TyC Sports (via Goal), he said, "They always look for something to criticise him for. They said 'he has to return', and when he gets back, he's the problem. He's always the problem.

"I'm not in his shoes, but I can imagine he should be tired. The criticism is not about the game. They talked about how he dismissed himself after the Venezuela game, but they didn't say anything about how he trained with the team for 10 days before the matches against Spain and Italy [in March 2018, before the World Cup] when he knew he wouldn't be able to play.

"Do you know how many times he travelled to the USA, prior to some friendly game, knowing that he would not play, just to be with the team?"

What's next?

Messi, who picked up an injury on international duty, has since returned to league action for Barcelona, who drew 4-4 in a La Liga clash against Villarreal last night.