A former Colombian national team player made some controversial statements against Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María, stating that they are already old and that is an advantage for Sunday’s opponent.
The legendary Colombian striker Adolfo “Train” Valencia stated that the captain of the Argentine national team, Lionel Messiis no longer the same as it was in the Barcelona and said that the footballer lost “strength and speed”.
In the preview of what will be the final on Sunday of the Copa America 2024 between Colombia and Argentina in MiamiThe 56-year-old former striker spoke about this match and was blunt about the current situation of the eight-time best player in the world: “He is no longer the Messi that we were used to seeing at Barcelona, where he scored six, seven, he has lost speed, he has lost strength over the years”.
“Anyone can mark Messi now, without taking away from everything he has done, I have always been a fan of him, I respected him as a player and as a person because he is a professional player who has never had a complaint. I am a fan of that.”added the native of Bucaramanga.
In line with his statements about the current Inter Miami player from the United States, Valencia He pointed to another Argentine reference as Angel Di Maria: “They (the Colombians) who are young have to know that it’s not the same Messi. Di Maria is not the same player that we knew when we were 23, 24, 26, 27… That’s an advantage that we have to try to take advantage of.”
“We know that Argentina is a tough opponent, world champion, Copa America champion, but what about the boys (from Colombia), the boys have a lot of confidence,” added the former Bayern Munich player from Germany and Atlético Madrid from Spain.
In addition, he was part of the Colombian World Cup squads in 1994 and 1998stated that this is the most important match in the history of the coffee-growing country: “I think so, because Colombia has made us fall in love, this team has made us fall in love and all Colombians believe in it. There is a commitment and the commitment that all Colombians expect is that they come to celebrate with us. First in Bogotá and then in Barranquilla.”.
“There is an illusion and they know it, because they have said it in interviews, they want to give this gift to Colombia by winning this Copa America and I think they have done a lot of merit”concluded who played 37 games with the shirt of Colombia and scored 14 goals.
Source: Ambito
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