Argentina fans loving new ‘aggressive’ Messi as Maradona comparison made

Argentina supporters are ‘loving’ Lionel Messi’s new-found aggression, with Ossie Ardiles likening him to Diego Maradona.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is setting the World Cup alight as he looks to inspire his nation to the ultimate prize in Qatar.

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Messi has showed an edgy side during this winter’s World Cup in Qatar

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The Argentine star was at the centre of the post-match squabbles after exchanging words with Van Gaal

The football world is very aware of the talent that the 35-year-old possesses after bagging seven Ballon d’Or awards over the years, but a slight aggressive streak in Argentina’s clash with the Netherlands caught some fans by surprise.

Messi was embroiled in post-match arguments with both Louis van Gaal and Wout Weghorst after Argentina’s penalty-shootout victory in the quarter-finals, but according to Argentine legend Ardiles, this side of Messi has been well-received.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Ardiles said: “I know in England some people were surprised at his aggressive reaction after the Holland game, the confrontation with Louis van Gaal and some Dutch players.

“But you have to remember the context. While England remains the No 1 European team for us to beat, Holland is the No 2. It started in 1974 when we lost 4-0 to them. So it is a long story with a lot of bad blood.

“Van Gaal had tried to get Messi to react before the game, inflaming the fire by talking about how Messi didn’t defend well for the team. Then, during the penalties, the Dutch players were constantly trying to disrupt the Argentinian players, playing mind games by walking up to them and celebrating by them if they missed. 

“This isn’t to justify what happened but to understand it. There was a lot going on, unsavoury scenes from both sides.

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“But in Argentina many people loved this new image of Messi. It wasn’t normal for him. It was more of a Maradona reaction, which means the people love him even more.

“The old perception was that he was cold and not passionate. Now they his feel his desire to win for Argentina. We are Latin people. We react and show our emotions. Sometimes maybe we overreact.”

Argentina face Croatia in the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday night, with commentary live on talkSPORT.

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Originally Posted By Talk Sport