Lionel Messi has been given a bizarre new nickname by his Argentina teammates.
The 35-year-old scored twice in Saturday's 3-0 victory over Honduras, with his second coming in the form of a delightful chip.
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Argentina are unbeaten in 34 matches and spirits are high going into this winter's World Cup in Qatar.
Messi is adored by the rest of the squad and they've let his nickname slip.
Per the Mirror, Messi posted a message to social media which read: "As the weasel stings."
Midfielder Papu Gomez was the first to respond and he said: "The weasel is crazy."
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So Messi is referred to as a weasel by his peers. Safe to say nobody saw that coming.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is regularly called the 'G.O.A.T' (Greatest Of All Time) and the acronym is even on the sleeve of Paris Saint-Germain's shirts this season.
'GOAT' is a sneaker marketplace similar to Stock X and are the new sleeve sponsor for PSG. It's not a tribute to Messi, before everyone gets worked up.
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Lionel Scaloni's side are up there among the favourites for the World Cup, despite Argentina not winning the competition since 1986.
They did win the Copa America in 2021 and defeated European Champions Italy in June to claim the Finalissima trophy.
It's likely to be Messi's last World Cup and he's hoping 'La Albiceleste' can take a fully fit squad, given how many club games lie between now and the tournament beginning in November.
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He told TyC Sports: "I think it is complicated at the level of matches, there are many games and little rest time but you have to face it as always, if you are going to play thinking about the World Cup, taking care of yourself or not messing up in the end can be worse.
"I am one of those who think that things happen because they happen and if things have to happen they will happen, God willing nothing happens to anyone and we can all arrive as we are."
Argentina are in Group C along with Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. They will start their campaign against Saudi Arabia on November 22.
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Topics: Lionel Messi, Argentina
Daniel Marland