Lionel Messi has been given a new nickname by one of his Argentina teammates that doesn’t suit him at all.
The Paris Saint Germain star was at his best as he inspired Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Croatia, sealing a place in Sunday’s World Cup final against France.
Messi gave his side the lead from 12 yards in the first half before producing one of the best assists of the tournament in the second half for Julian Alvarez to make it 3-0.
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After the match, Messi’s teammate Rodrigo De Paul gave the seven-time Ballon d’Or a nickname that doesn’t really reflect him.
The Atletico Madrid player said: “Luckily, we have The Beast.
“We play for our country, but for us, Leo is our captain, our leader, he’s like an older brother and I will always defend him.
“Few know what he does to always be the best and I’m very happy for him.
“After everything that’s happened, I want him to be the one who enjoys it the most. He deserves it a lot.”
De Paul also revealed that he is delighted for the whole of Argentina.
“The reality is that we play for the love of the colours, of the shirt, of our country, something it is difficult to express in words,” the 28-year-old added.
“But I’m sure that the many people who balance their problems with football, they forget everything when they see us play.
“Making them happy is a power and a pleasure for us that gives us a lot of pride.”
At 5ft7, Messi is hardly a ‘beast’ in appearance but De Paul does have a point if he is talking about his football ability.
During the tournament in Qatar, Messi has been one of the stand-out stars so far as he is desperate to lead his country to World Cup glory.
Ahead of Sunday's final, Messi said: “What we’ve done is something impressive. It is the sixth final that we are going to play in our history.
“Beyond winning or losing, people understand they have to enjoy themselves and that this whole process in this group was extraordinary, winning the Copa America and reaching the final now.”
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Topics: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Football, Football World Cup
Marcus Chan