The newly-crowned national hero of Argentina, Angel Di Maria has revealed that Lionel Messi thanked him after La Albiceleste’s fifteenth triumph in Copa America 2020. On Saturday,, Argentina clashed with their arch-rivals Brazil at the Estadio do Maracana in Brazil.
With conditions and form both favouring Brazil, Argentina were being dubbed as the underdogs by the vast majority. However, Lionel Scaloni’s men proved to be far more superior tactically than their opposition.
In what was a very cagey affair, with the Uruguayan referee Esteban Ostojich blowing his whistle every other minute, the match-defining moment of spark happened in the 22nd minute. A precise ball from the deep by Rodrigo De Paul found Angel Di Maria in space. While this act was splendid in itself, what followed was simply magical.
After receiving the ball in an elegant manner, the Paris Saint-Germain winger found the back of the net with the deftest of chips. That goal eventually earned Argentina their first major trophy since 1993, and their skipper Lionel Messi his first major international honour.
“It’s going to be unforgettable. Messi told me thanks to me, I said thanks to him. He told me that it was my final, that it was the rematch for the finals that I couldn’t play. It had to be today and today it was,”
“I am happy for my daughters, my wife, my parents, all the people who supported us and for all the crazy people who came here. A World Cup is coming up soon and this is a huge boost,”
the 33-year-old said, as per quotes in the Daily Mail.
Messi is the best of all time – De Paul
The player who provided the assist, Rodrigo De Paul, was all praises for the Argentine captain after the match. The Udinese player, who will reportedly sign for reigning LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid in the nearest future, has had a fantastic campaign himself.
“This is more than we dreamed of. Being champion in the Maracana against Brazil exceeds all kinds of expectations. Messi needed everyone, and we needed him. He is the best of all time,”
said De Paul.
