A chapter in football history ended last night on the pitch of the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. Lionel Messi played his last match in the jersey of the Argentine selection, scoring from the penalty spot for a 3-0 victory for the Albiceleste over Benin. A festive evening which nevertheless left a bitter taste for the Cheetahs.
“ We are very happy to make history, especially for a great football man like Lionel Messi. And playing this match at the Monumental, it was an extraordinary adventure for my young players », initially admits Beninese coach Gernot Rohr, asked about the subject this Wednesday evening on RMC.
However, the former Nice coach who also officiated at the helm of Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria deplores a non-existent sharing with the Argentines despite the scale and solemnity of the event. “ The only downside is that the Argentinians gave nothing to our players. Not even a photo of Messi », says Gernot Rohr.
“Security refused everyone”
“ We wanted to exchange jerseys, we didn’t get a jerseycontinues the 73-year-old strategist. They didn’t even let us into their hallway. Security refused everyone. Players came with their jerseys to exchange with others. We tried everything but nothing worked. I was able to give my 2018 Messi jersey to the Argentinian coach
(Lionel Scaloni, editor’s note). He made me sign it and gave it back to me. I waited half an hour but it didn’t matter…
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And to conclude, a good player despite everything: “ The result was not the most important. For us in sport, it was about learning, allowing our young players to have a very rich international experience that no one could imagine experiencing one day. »
