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.

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.

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”.

Also read: Lionel Messi and Argentina | What happened to the fairytale?