Lionel Messi blew away a journalist in the mixed zone last night when he revealed he had been wearing the good luck charm given to him, throughout the monumental win against Nigeria.
After Argentina opened their 2018 World Cup campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw with Iceland, where Messi missed a crucial penalty, Argentine journalist Rama Pantarotto gave him his mother's red amulet in the hope that it would bring the five-time Ballon d'Or luck in the coming games.
Credit: YouTube/@TelefeNoticias
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Of course it didn't in the clash with Croatia, where the Abicalestes were well beaten 3-0, but Messi rediscovered his golden touch to score one of the goals of the tournament last night, before Marcos Rojo netted a sensational 86th minute to volley to seal their qualification to the knockouts.
And after captaining his country to a huge victory, Messi was doing media duties in the mixed zone when Pantarotto brought up the amulet and wondered whether he had thrown it away.
But the Barcelona star delighted him by showing his ankle with the charm around it and then telling him he'd wore it on the pitch for the game.
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His reaction was absolutely priceless - Pantarotto in complete and utter disbelief. "Mum... Messi wore it," he said to the camera before pointing to the heavens and celebrating.
Argentina will now play France in the last 16 on Saturday and matchwinner Rojo has credited Messi with leading them into the knockout stages - with his half-time team talk instrumental.
"Messi came up to us and told us to calm down and not be stressed," the Manchester United defender said post-match.
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"We felt nervous and that message helped us a lot and gave me personally a huge confidence boost. Messi is our captain and he's the best captain in the world."
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Argentina, World Cup
