"Stop Making Excuses!" - Fans Call Out Lionel Messi For Blaming Performance On The Wind

Lionel Messi's explanation post that detailed some of the reasons why he and his Argentina teammates underperformed on Friday morning didn't go down too well with some fans.

Despite beating Peru 1-0 courtesy of a Lautaro Martinez strike, the home side didn't exactly play to the best of their abilities, something that Messi sought to explain on Instagram in the hours after.

The PSG forward posted a picture of him and his Argentine teammates, with the caption reading: "Tough game. Lots of wind, they [Peru] all leaving behind few spaces. The referee whenever he directs us does the same, it seems he does it on purpose."

"But hey 3 important points that bring us closer to our goal," the message continued.

While the post certainly received its fair share of love from fans, with over 3.6 million likes at the time of writing, others took issue with the 34-year-old choosing to blame his own performance on external factors.

Over on Twitter, many Cristiano Ronaldo fans were contrasting the Manchester United star's reaction to a poor personal display, to that of Messi.

The notion of Messi blaming his own failings on the wind seems to be their main source of aggrievement - as the reactions below demonstrate.

Nevertheless, in spite of the pushback online, Argentina will end the international break with two crucial home wins to to their name against Uruguay and Peru.

And while Messi may have underperformed last night, his goalscoring contribution against the former was vitally important in the grand scheme of FIFA World Cup Qualification.