Lionel Messi involved in two damning incidents with Argentina | OneFootball

Argentinan daily publication Clarín revealed some insight on Lionel Messi’s influence on the Argentina national team.

Messi was allegedly involved in a bust-up with a coach and asked Albiceleste manager Jorge Sampaoli to drop both Federico Fazio and Giovani Lo Celso.

During an incident at Manchester City’s training ground in preparation for the World Cup, Sebastián Beccacece, one of the assistants to coach Jorge Sampaoli, came up to Messi to give him instructions.

While speaking to Messi, Beccacece went to correct the Barcelona legend on something he deemed he was doing incorrectly, and touched him on the shoulder.

According to Clarín, Messi was furious with the gesture, not Beccacece’s words, and asked Sampaoli that something like that never happen again.

Clarín also have made the claim that Messi had a conversation with Sampaoli about dropping Federico Fazio and Giovani Lo Celso, pointing to what Messi considered weaknesses in each player’s game.

After the alleged incident, Fazio played only the second half in the last-16 defeat to France, while Lo Celso sat on the bench the entire World Cup.

There is supposedly a grudge between Messi and Lo Celso, after the PSG man easily beat Messi in a match of football tennis during a training session.

Sources close to the player, however, have already denied these claims to the Buenos Aires newspaper.