Messi needed the affection of fans, says coach Scaloni

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said on Tuesday that star Lionel Messi needed to feel the affection of the fans, who gathered to honor him when he went to dinner with his family at a restaurant in Buenos Aires.

#MajorSelection How nice to come home as WORLD CHAMPIONS! 🏆😃🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/4fia6D1Oxm

— 🇦🇷 Argentina National Team ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) March 20, 2023

“Leo’s case is beautiful. He deserves all this affection. All the players in the squad deserve this when they go out on the street. The joy (of the world Cup) still continues,” Scaloni said.

Messi arrived in Buenos Aires on Monday for Argentina’s friendly against Panama. When he went out to dinner with his family, he was applauded by a group of fans who gathered on the street of the restaurant where he was.

“He’s fine, he’s here to keep coming back. When he tells me he doesn’t feel well, we’ll see. Now he’s happy to be in the national team,” said Scaloni.

Argentina will celebrate the world title on Thursday in a friendly against Panama at the Monumental stadium, with an expected audience of 83,000 people.

It will be a party with a music show and a scenario on the lawn to simulate the award ceremony of the Cup of world Cup.

A second celebration will take place next week at the Madre de Ciudades stadium, in Santiago del Estero (northwest), in another friendly match against the Curaçao national team.