What De Paul said about Lionel Messi 's presence on the bench against Bolivia

The Argentine National Team is coming off an important victory against Bolivia in a match where they were without their captain and star, Lionel Messi. The Inter Miami player was absent due to his discomfort in the last game against Ecuador and according to Lionel Scaloni himself, coach of the Argentine team, the player shared that he did not feel well to play. It is worth remembering that matches in La Paz require a high physical commitment due to the high altitude in said territory.

However, even though Lionel Messi was not present at the match, the player decided to be on the bench to support his teammates. The Argentine player placed himself in an important way and decided to share with each of the Argentine National Team players and even support Lionel Scaloni. Given this situation, one of the team's main players, Rodrigo De Paul, spoke about Messi's action about being on the bench, despite not being called up.

“He is an absolute leader. For me this is an example of love, of affection towards the group, of the connection that exists between all of us. In the end, after the great game he played (against Ecuador) and giving us those three points with that goal, he could have left, enjoying his son's birthday. We already more or less knew that it was very difficult for him to play and he, however, decided to come here. So I always thank him and the team too. And that's why everything we give on the field,” remarked the Atlético de Madrid midfielder.

What else did Rodrigo De Paul say?

After talking about Lionel Messi, and continuing the same line, the man who emerged from the Racing quarry added in the mixed zone that this commitment was “a good test to know that the team, and he knows, that although when he is there it is almost It is impossible not to depend on what he does, that there are also other tools and that there is a team without him and that at some point, when he feels it, he will be able to deposit what he has in us and we will respond."