DT from Australia filled Lionel Messi with praise: “He is one of the best in history”

The Australian team made history by qualifying for the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar 2022 and was close to the feat against Argentina, but they left with their heads held high after losing (1-2). The DT of the ‘Kanguros’, Graham Arnold, knows that his team did everything possible to win the team led by Lionel Messi.

In a press conference, the strategist praised the ’10’ of the ‘Albiceleste’ who opened the scoring with a great goal and became the figure of the commitment. “Is incredible. One of the best in history and we have made a huge effort to neutralize him knowing what a great player he is.”he said at a press conference.

“I had the privilege of playing with Diego Armando Maradona and as coach against Messi, and Argentina should be proud to have players of this caliber (…) We are up against a great team. We had chances and we couldn’t take advantage of them.”highlighted the coach.

On the other hand, he asked for support for football in his country. “In Australian rules football we have a great future and a lot of support. A great interest in our country and to have expectations we need more funds from the government of the country. Give us a home for our football, we need a headquarters, some facilities. That it finance us for the development of football in the country”, mentioned.

Likewise, Arnold pointed out that his future at the helm of the ‘Socceroos’ is uncertain. “The contract is up, but I only think about the holidays. We have worked to achieve all of this, the Olympic Games, the World Cup. I haven’t thought about it and I have to talk to the Federation.”he explained.

It is important to mention that the Australian team had to pass two playoffs to reach the World Cup. First, they beat the United Arab Emirates (2-1) and then they eliminated Peru in a penalty shootout. In Qatar 2022, the ‘Kangaroos’ started with a defeat (1-4) against France, but later recovered with two wins over Tunisia (1-0) and Denmark (1-0). In this way, they classified as second in group C.