Uruguay midfielder Fede Valverde has revealed he doesn’t know how to stop Lionel Messi, ahead of his country’s match against Argentina on Thursday.
Uruguay are set to face Argentina in a 2026 World Cup qualifier this week, and the Celeste captain has admitted it will be impossible to stop Lionel Messi. The Inter Miami and Argentina star hasn’t played a competitive match in almost a month.
Uruguay are currently second in Conmebol’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers, five points behind Argentina and ahead of Venezuela and Brazil in goals scored. The team led by Marcelo Bielsa achieved a famous victory over Brazil in their final World Cup qualifying match.
In a pre-match interview, Valverde said he didn’t know how to slow down Messi – and was never able to do so when both players were playing in La Liga: “I don’t know how to stop Messi, I’ve never been able to stop him. He’s one of the best players in the world.”.
The midfielder also praised Suarez, who earned his first cap for Uruguay since the 2022 World Cup: “ From the start, Suarez passed on to me the values and rules to succeed in the national team. He is an idol for Uruguay.
