Lionel Messi denied accusations about his commitment to the Argentina national team, reiterating his desire to play again for the squad in future competitions.
Fans questioned Messi's commitment to his national team after the superstar decided to sit out in Argentina's 4-2 win in a friendly against Germany, which was a rematch of their 2014 FIFA World Cup final showdown in Brazil.
In a post on his official Facebook page, Messi greeted his teammates and new coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino for their convincing win against Germany, while also issuing an apology for missing the friendly.
"Congratulations to all my colleagues in the Argentine Football Federation -- Argentine team who participated yesterday in the win over Germany for the first match in this new stage of direction under Tata," Messi said. "I am sorry I could not be with you this time. This team still has a lot to give and we are going to achieve great things in the future."
Veteran midfielder Javier Mascherano also defended Messi from his critics, insisting that the FC Barcelona superstar has been very committed to the national team throughout his career. Mascherano said that Messi could have played if not for an adductor muscle problem.
"Messi was always the first to come with the national team and it will stay like that," Mascherano said via ESPN FC. "I spoke with Leo. He did not come as he has a small injury. Maybe if the game was in three or four days he would have played it. A friendly was not worth taking a risk for. He is very committed, we cannot apologize for something which has not happened."
Without Messi, Argentina managed to avenge their loss in the World Cup final with a convincing victory, leaning on the impressive performance of Angel Di Maria, who missed their 1-0 loss to the German squad in July.
Di Maria, who recently made a lucrative move from Real Madrid to Manchester United, scored a goal and tallied three assists, playing a role in Argentina's four goals in the match. Sergio Aguero, Erik Lamela and Fede Fernandez netted one goal each for Argentina.
