Mexico forward Santiago Gimenez has revealed why he decided to play against Lionel Messi. The youngster was born in Buenos Aires but later moved to Mexico. Gimenez could have played for Argentina but decided to represent Mexico.

The striker has been in stellar form in Eredivisie this season as he has scored 18 goals and assisted four times in 16 matches while playing for Feyenoord. He has also played 24 matches for the national team, scoring four goals.

Gimenez said he was not going to make the decision for Lionel Messi.

Gimenez told Argentine sports channel TyC Sports (via Goal): “I don’t lie, I love Messi, he is an animal, he is the best in history, but it is better to play against him. I love him, I think he is the best player in history, but I was not going to make the decision for Messi, I was going to make it with my heart… I am happy with the decision.”

After his impressive start, Gimenez has drawn interest from top-flight Premier League clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea.

On the other hand, the Argentina Football Association has revealed that they plan to retire Lionel Messi’s jersey number 10 after his retirement.

President of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, said in a recent press conference via The Statesman “When Lionel Messi retires from the national team, we will not allow anyone else to wear the number 10 after him. In his honor, the number 10 will be retired for life. It’s the bare minimum we can do for him.”

Messi had a great FIFA World Cup 2022, scoring seven goals and providing three assists. He also scored a goal and assisted in the all-important semi-final against Croatia. Messi then scored a brace against France in the final and took his team to glory.