Argentine national team coach Edgardo Bauza today revealed what he said in a conversation with Lionel Messi, after which he decided to return to his country's national team.
Messi had left the national team after Argentina's defeat against Chile in the "Copa America Centenario" tournament, but at the beginning of this month the Argentine announced a change of plans and a return to the team. The player himself stated that the conversation with Bauza contributed to this decision, and the coach, speaking to La Nacion, revealed what he said to the forward in their conversation.
"I met with Messi not to convince him, but to talk about football. We talked about football for almost two hours and in the end I told him that I would include him in my list of invited players. I told him that there are 100 idiots in Argentina who talk and criticize, but people want a lot and if he pays attention to those 100 idiots, he'll go crazy.
Later he announced his decision officially, which I took very naturally - this shows his desire to be in the national team and win something with it. Having the best football player in the world on the team doesn't guarantee you victories, but it guarantees big problems for your opponents. We need to make more use of Messi. I see him in two or three positions. I've already talked to him about it, but we'll see everything a little later. It will depend on the team we have.
He is under pressure just because of who he is. And he knows it. We all know that when the ball is at his feet, he can create something that can change the game. But our whole team must help him," Bauza said.
In the next World Cup qualification match, Argentina will play at home on September 2 against Uruguay, who currently lead the table after six rounds. After playing 6 matches in the South American qualification tournament, Argentina is in third place, which would ensure a spot in the 2018 World Cup.
