The Argentina national team defied the odds in the 2021 Copa America. Amid much uncertainty over whether the side would win the tournament, La Albiceleste surpassed expectations following its grand victory over Brazil in the final.
Argentina national team goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was much enthusiastic about this grand win, especially for Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi. Martinez had long wanted to watch Messi win a major international tournament with La Albiceleste.
In speaking to the Argentine-based outlet El Pais, Martinez reflected on the Copa America tournament, where he touched on the key role that Messi had on the team.
“From the bottom of my heart, I am happier for him than for me,” Martinez said.
“I’m Argentinean. What Argentinean didn’t want the best player in history to lift the Cup? And the whole squad understood that. When he was about to lift the Cup, we shouted to him: ‘It’s your day.’ Now, we are going to try to win more things. But the day that No. 10 won at the Maracana has already gone down in history. That’s for life.
“Before the match, he will give us a talk in which he explained the weaknesses of the rivals and what we had to do. Then he would ask us to sing the anthem all together and hugging each other. Details like that made us more and more enthusiastic. Plus, the obvious: he is a total reference in the game.”
The win for Messi sure was a historic one, as he silenced the narrative that he can not win a major international tournament with Argentina.
For now, Messi is well focused on helping PSG win the UEFA Champions League competition.
