Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli says Lionel Messi is a victim of unfair criticism lauding the forward as the best player in the world. The Argentine has been heavily criticized after penalty miss against Iceland in their World Cup opener a game the two sides settled for a 1-1 draw. Sergio Aguero put Sampoili’s men ahead before Thor Halldorsson claimed a point for Iceland with Messi failing to score the winning goal in the second-half through a penalty.
Croatia registered a 2-0 win over Nigeria to put more pressure to Argentina but Sampaoli is confident his team is over their initial trials adding Messi cannot be held solely responsible for the team’s misfortunes in Russia. “We were quite upset about not having won. I think we’ve recovered, though,” Sampaoli said in a news conference in Nizhny Novgorod, the venue for the match against Croatia. “Leo shouldn’t shoulder all the responsibility. We’re talking about a World Cup that involves millions of people. We can all miss a penalty. We have an entire squad here and we need to bind ourselves together through good and bad. Sometimes, football gives you these unpleasant surprises.”
Discussing the criticism Messi has faced in recent days, Sampaoli added: “It’s what I always say: when you score in the Argentina shirt, we all take credit, but when Argentina lose, it’s all Leo’s fault. I think that’s quite unfair treatment. It’s a lot of pressure for a single player to bear so I have to say I also feel responsible for missing that penalty and I’ll celebrate Leo’s goals like any other Argentine. “He is the best player in the world and clearly it is impossible that a single player changes the situation of a match completely. He can’t be held responsible for a defeat.”