Pele advises Messi to return to International football

The footballing world was shocked early this week when Lionel Messi announced, right after the loss to Chile in the Copa America final, that he would be retiring from international football. Apart from the fans, the Argentinian President and Diego Maradona have already urged Messi to reconsider the decision.

It was the turn of the greatest-ever to weigh in on the issue yesterday. Pele, the only one to win three football World Cups, called Messi "the world's best player for the past 10 years", reported Sky Sports.

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After 120 minutes of regular play had ended goalless, Messi had been the first to step up to take the penalty for Argentina. But the diminutive Argentinian inexplicably missed the shot and Argentina eventually lost 3-5 in penalties to Chile, a repeat of the 2015 Copa America final. Speaking about it, Pele said, "What happened to him is something that only happens in soccer. Only the person who shoots a penalty can miss it," reported Sky Sports.

Also read: Messi Magic | Top 10 moments in Argentina colours

Adding on about how it is understandable to miss a penalty, Pele said, "It's normal that he is sad and disappointed, but he has to wait a bit and forget this incident, since it is something that many good players have gone through. Everyone has missed a penalty at some point”.

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