Nicolas Otamendi – who Manchester City let go in 2020 – defied Lionel Messi on Friday morning while playing for Argentina.
The defender – who made 210 appearances for Manchester City – played 90 minutes as Argentina defeated Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier.
So, what happened between Nicolas Otamendi and Lionel Messi? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the 35-year-old was named captain by Lionel Scaloni for the clash against Paraguay, as the Inter Miami No.10 started on the bench.
It was Otamendi who scored the only goal of the game in the 3rd minute to secure a 1-0 win for Argentina.
However – when Messi came on in the 53rd minute – there was a disagreement.
Otamendi wanted to hand the armband over the the 36-year-old, who is officially the captain of Argentina.
But, in a show of humility, Messi ordered the Benfica No.30 to keep it.
Despite that, Otamendi continued to jog over to the sideline, where the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner continued to wag his finger and insist that he keeps the armband.
Nevertheless, the man who won two Premier League titles at Manchester City ignored Messi, and even did the honours of attaching the armband to the Rosario-born forward himself.
Nicolas Otamendi still going strong after leaving Manchester City
Many might have expected Otamendi’s career to fizzle out when he moved to Benfica at the age of 32 in 2020 – at least on the international scene.
However, the Buenos Aires-born defender has continued to shine since leaving the Etihad Stadium.
Otamendi – of course – still starts for Argentina, and even became a World Cup winner back in December, while also lifting the Primeira Liga title with Benfica last season.
It is testament to how well the South American has looked after his body and adapted to leaving a top, top club such as Manchester City, which can often leave many feeling disillusioned.
Hopefully, Otamendi continues to play a big part for Benfica and Argentina as the campaign goes on.
