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ESPNsoccernet: World Cup |
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Friday, July 28, 2006
Messi could not watch World Cup after exit
BUENOS AIRES, July 27 (Reuters) - Argentina forward Lionel Messi said on Thursday he could not face watching the rest of the World Cup after his team went out in the quarter-finals to hosts Germany on penalties.
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'After we lost to Germany, I didn't watch any more World
Cup games,' he told Argentine television. 'I didn't know about
anything that was going on.'
'The final? I didn't watch it.'
The speedy teenager was surprisingly left on the bench for
the Germany game by coach Jose Pekerman and did not even come
on as a substitute when the German defence was flagging.
Argentina lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
'You'll have to ask Pekerman why I didn't get to play
more,' he said. 'There were 23 very good players.'
But Messi said he did not bear a grudge against Pekerman,
who resigned following the tournament.
'I had no problem with Pekerman, he took me to the World
Cup and gave me my debut. He's a very good coach, he's very
good at leading a group. I wouldn't be unhappy if he
continued.'
Messi said the 2006 World Cup was overall a positive
experience for him.
'I played my first World Cup, I made my debut at the age of
18. On the personal side, that was positive.
'It was a strange World Cup in which the best teams got
knocked out. Argentina were eliminated when we were playing the
best football.'