Lionel Messi on Australia win: “I didn’t know it was my thousandth game” | OneFootball

Lionel Messi has revealed that he didn’t know about the fact that the game against Australia was the 1000th game of his professional career until only some hours before the game.

Messi put on a fitting show in his 1000th game as a player, as he scored the opener in a 2-1 win and he sparkled throughout the tie to pick up the Man of the Match prize. He helped Argentina reach the quarter-finals, where they will take on Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands.

In an interview with La Repubblica, Messi spoke about the game and revealed that he didn’t know that it was his 1000th game until a few hours before the game kicked off.

He stated: “I didn’t even know it was my thousandth game. They told me a few hours before, I thought there were still a couple missing. But in the end it was a locura (madness) , with the goal, qualification for the quarter-finals and all the celebrations here and in Argentina.”

He further stated: “It was certainly a difficult game, a difficult evening. We had little time to rest, we were tired and didn’t recover well. It quickly became a very physical match. But it went well and we were able to experience a wonderful feeling. For me everything was fantastic, on and off the pitch.”

GWFN