“At 18-19, he was a monster” - Ex-Argentina midfielder offers opinion on playing with Lionel Messi

Former Argentina midfielder Andrés D’Alessandro recently opened up about his experience playing with Lionel Messi. The River Plate graduate shared the pitch four times with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner for five years representing La Albiceleste.

Andrés D’Alessandro mentioned on Charla Podcast that he had played with Messi for a short while and referred to the Barcelona legend as "very strong." He said via Mundo Albiceleste:

"I played a bit with Leo in the national team but I played. Messi in training, he would get the ball and pass everyone. He was very strong. In training he impressed us. He’s small, has a low center of gravity, fast and light. At 18-19, he was a monster."

When asked to choose between Argentine legends, Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona, Andrés D’Alessandro picked the former. He claimed that the Inter Miami star is "more complete." The 43-year-old former midfielder said:

"I’ll stick with Messi. More complete when it comes to scoring. Diego had more charm but Leo is more complete. And Messi has remained at an absurd level and performance for 15 years. And now he is a World Champion, which was missing."

Lionel Messi recently lifted his second Copa América trophy with Argentina with his first being in 2021. The La Albiceleste captain has also won the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2022 La Finalissima.

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Inter Miami offer update on Lionel Messi after Argentina captain suffered injury in Copa America final

Major League Soccer club Inter Miami have provided an update on the fitness of captain Lionel Messi after he suffered an ankle injury in the Copa America final against Colombia.

The 37-year-old forward sustained an adductor injury in his second match at the 2024 Copa America against Chile. He missed the third game and returned in the quarterfinals against Ecuador. Messi had his ankle bent under the weight of Colombian defender Santiago Arias in the first half of the tournament's final, playing only 66 minutes.

Inter Miami's statement, providing an update on the Argentina national team captain's injury, read:

"Inter Miami CF has provided an injury update presented by Baptist Health for captain Leo Messi. After a medical evaluation, it has been determined that Leo Messi has suffered a ligament injury in his right ankle. The captain's availability will be determined by periodic assessments and the progress of his recovery."

Lionel Messi will reportedly not need to undergo surgery and will be recovering only with rest and physiotherapy.