Belgrano defender Mariano Troilo, who was called up to the Argentina senior squad by coach Lionel Scaloni earlier this year for the World Cup Qualifiers against Colombia and Chile, recalled how welcome he was made to feel. Troilo, speaking to Goal, mentioned an unwritten rule in the Argentina camp that involves the legendary Lionel Messi.
He said that no one in the team was allowed to tackle Messi in training under any circumstances whatsoever. The 21-year-old, who did not make an appearance in the qualifiers, claimed that he appreciated getting to train with the best Argentine talents.
His comments on Messi were meant to signify how much the icon needed to be protected in training so that he could fire in matches.
Argentina have already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is slated to be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Later this year, Messi and Co. will play Venezuela and Ecuador in their final round of qualifiers.
Lionel Messi is currently with his club, Inter Miami, playing in the FIFA Club World Cup. After having drawn their first game against Al Ahly, Miami will now take on FC Porto on Friday, June 19.
Although Messi could not score in his club’s opening fixture, he came excruciatingly close to doing so on several occasions. Miami will aim to finish the group stage of the tournament on a high and on top of the league table.
37-year-old Messi has already scored 15 goals in 21 matches across all competitions for Miami this season, and will have a massive role to play for them in the international tournament.
Along with former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez, who has netted five times already in the MLS, Messi leads the Miami attacking unit. However, it may seem out of depth when faced with structured defensive units.
Messi, who moved to the USA in 2023 after a two-year stint with Paris Saint-Germain, has not had much success by way of trophies. He has won just one accolade – the Leagues Cup in 2023.
An MBA degree holder in Finance, Mohul is also a professional cricketer and is currently in the reserves for Hyderabad’s Ranji Trophy team. He’s also played league football in Hyderabad.
His football interest sparked after watching countless Rahim League matches at the Gymkhana and supporting the State Bank of Hyderabad. He grew up hearing stories about the legendary Syed Abdul Rahim and his incredible football team of the 1960s, which had a big influence on him. He has admired Manchester United’s dominance in English and European football as well.
Tennis star Leander Paes, Olympic gold-medalist Abhinav Bindra, cricketing legend Rahul Dravid and football star Chinglensana Singh are Mohul’s favorite athletes. He is a staunch Hyderabad FC supporter, and Sahil Tavora’s 88th-minute equalizer in the 2021-22 ISL Cup final against Kerala Blasters is one of his favorite footballing moments. Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Olympics also had a huge impact on Mohul.
In his work, he strives to write relevant, accurate and unbiased stories by conducting thorough research. When not working, Mohul enjoys reading books and listening to heavy metal and rock music.
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