Argentina Coach, Sampaoli : I Told Messi Not To Play Against Nigeria

Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli has commented on the absence of Lionel Messi from the upcoming friendly match against Nigeria, saying he advised the Barcelona star not to play the game.

The number ten will not travel with La Albiceleste squad to Krasnodar after Saturday's clash against Russia, and will return to Spain instead.

''Leo, I see him very mature and we can start a dialogue from coach to player, if have the possibility of taking a match, at a time when he has some muscular fatigue, we will do it,'' Sampaoli said at Friday's press conference in Moscow, according to TYC Sports.

''We have to prove absolutely nothing, we have to prove it to the environment and we are on that path, I'm the one who proposed he does not play against Nigeria.

''He has never proposed to stop playing because his happiness is in the game.''

Messi scored twice as Argentina claimed a 3-2 win over Nigeria when both countries faced off at the Estádio José Pinheiro Borda in the 2014 World Cup.

Igho Kingsley

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