Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi will reportedly play against Uruguay Friday night. Ahead of the matchup, ESPN Argentina spoke with former Uruguayan forward Sebastián Abreu, and one of the questions was over limiting Messi’s influence in a match.
Abreu told ESPN that Uruguay should mark Messi as it did with Diego Maradona in the past, especially during the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Furthermore, Abreu admitted that the best way to stop the Argentine forward is to not let him come out playing well. The 45-year-old added that the opposition needs to get tough in the plays and not give up the spaces.
“You have to treat him like Diego in ’86,” Abreu said. “Before Scaloni, Argentina was only Messi: controlling him, you neutralized the game. Today there is a collective operation that strengthens individualities.”
