Lionel Messi was caught on camera refusing Argentina captain’s armband from Otamendi as he was about to be subbed on in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay.
After initially trying to reject the armband, he later accepted it anywhere as Otamendi pressed on and forced it on him.
There are a few possible reasons why Lionel Messi refused the Argentina captain’s armband from Otamendi:
He wanted to give Otamendi the chance to captain the team. Messi is a humble player, and he may have felt that Otamendi deserved to captain the team since he was the starting captain.
He was not feeling up to the task of captaining the team. Messi had just returned from injury, and he may have felt that he needed to focus on his own performance rather than on captaining the team.
He wanted to send a message about unity and teamwork. By refusing the armband, Messi may have been trying to send a message that everyone on the team is equal and that they are all working together for the same goal.
Ultimately, only Messi knows why he refused the armband. However, his decision was a selfless one, and it showed his commitment to the team.
It is also worth noting that Messi has been known to put the team first on many occasions. For example, in the 2019 Copa América, he stepped down as captain after Argentina lost to Brazil in the semi-finals. He said that he wanted to “give way to other players” and that he was “not the right person to lead the team at this time.”
Messi’s decision to refuse the armband in the Argentina vs. Paraguay match is just another example of his humility and his commitment to the team.
