The Australian national team said on Wednesday that they have the utmost respect for Lionel Messi but that they would do all in their power to stop him when they play Argentina in a friendly in Beijing.
In a rematch of their round of 16 matchup at the World Cup, which Messi scored in and terrorized the Socceroos in during Argentina’s 2-1 victory, the two teams will face each other on Thursday in the capital city of China.
Messi led Argentina to victory in the World Cup, which they went on to win.
When it comes to Lionel Messi, how could you possibly not admire someone who has accomplished as much in sport as he has? At the Workers’ Stadium, which has a capacity of 68,000, Australia’s head coach Graham Arnold addressed the media.
“Of course, we respect him; however, at the same time, we’re looking to stop him and making sure that our focus is on our performance. We want to make sure that we get out there and play right, and that we put in a great performance against the world champions.”
Messi, who is already 35 years old, said this week that at the conclusion of his two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, he would sign with the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
Despite the steep increases in price, game tickets for Thursday’s match sold out very quickly due to the high demand from Chinese fans who are eager to see Messi in person.
Arnold, who said that Australia had “learned lessons” from their defeat to Argentina in Qatar the previous winter, has sent a youthful side to China after a large number of players were injured and unable to compete.
He stated, “We have a younger squad of players here, up-and-coming players who we’re looking at over the next four years to see if we can qualify for the next World Cup.” “We have a younger squad of players here.”