Felipe Melo explains why he has a painting of Lionel Messi in his house despite Brazil's heated rivalry with Argentina

Felipe Melo explained why he has a painting of Lionel Messi in his house despite Brazil's heated rivalry with Argentina.

Brazil and Argentina are the two footballing powerhouses of South American football, with eight FIFA World Cup titles and 24 Copa America crowns between them.

The two nations have produced some of the greatest footballers of all time, with Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano coming from Argentina and Pele, Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho hailing from Brazil.

Because of that - along with various political and social reasons - the two countries and their people don't tend to get along.

Brazil and Argentina are currently competing in the 2024 Copa America in the United States, although the two old foes will only meet if they reach the final.

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi is looking to win a third successive major tournament, having captained his side to glory in the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup.

The former Barcelona star is loved the world over, even in Brazil.

In an interview with TyC Sports last year, former Brazil defender Felipe Melo - still playing club football with Fluminense at the age of 41 - revealed that he has a painting of Messi in his house despite the Brazil-Argentina rivalry.

"I have a painting with Messi in my house so my children and grandchildren can see that I played against him," Melo said.

"He is the best player I have faced, and it is natural that many Brazilians love him. He is a role model for everyone.

"He is the best player I have ever seen play. If he doesn't score goals, he makes you score three goals. That makes the difference and that's why people like to play with Messi.

"Messi is a world idol, it is normal that there are Brazilians who support Argentina because of him, as there must be many Argentines who support Neymar. I'm a fan of Brazil, I love my country.

"Messi doesn't have the speed he had a few years ago, but he has much more vision of the game and better things than before. He's still the best player in the world. It's crazy. That's why he won the [2023] Ballon d'Or."