Russia 2018 -Video: Leon Balogun- I am looking forward to face LIONEL MESSI
BY: Oma Akatugba
After beating Iceland through a braze from Ahmed Musa, Nigerians have become hopeful again of their chances at the ongoing FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. Everyone is now looking forward with great enthusiasm to the crunch final group D game between Nigeria and Argentina, taking place in St Peterburg on Tuesday 26 June 2018. A game where the winner will stand a good chance of advancing to the round of 16 and for Nigeria, a draw would be good enough, so long Iceland doesn’t win against Croatia, and even if they do, not collect a higher goal difference than Nigeria.
The players of the team have been expressing their excitement ahead of the game, mainly because, the Argentine team is at the lowest on confidence, which gives the Super Eagles a good chance of beating Argentina for the first time a FIFA World cup match.
Nigeria last defeated Argentina by 4-2 seven months ago also in Russia, Krasnodar to be precise in a pre-world cup friendly but a lot of the players believe that that result would not have any bearing on the outcome of Tuesday’s game especially because, The captain of the side, Lionel Messi was absent for that friendly.
One of the players who is excitedly looking forward to the big game is Berlin-born defender Leon Balogun. The defender believes Messi’s absence from the last friendly took something special out of the Argentine team.
“Even if you take Messi out of FC Barcelona, you take something special because he is the most special thing the world of football has ever seen, so far. In my opinion, even above Maradona and all the big names. Ok then you also have el phenomena, Ronaldo, those two are quite the same but Messi he is out of this world. I said just for fun that he was scared of playing against the “oyinbo wall” that is why he did not come for our last game but don’t take that seriously, it was just a joke. I do not think that Messi is scared of us. Yes, I am looking forward to play against him because as a little child, you always dreamed of messing with the best and he is definitely one of the best in this world, if not the best so I am looking forward but not just to play against him but the team again, because it is a different competition and it would be a different game “ The 29-year-old defender, who recently completed a move to Brighton Albion in the English Premier League told omasports exclusively shortly before the world cup started.
Argentina is unbeaten against Nigeria having played each the West African nation four times in the group phase. Albeit, the albecelte’s current form means that the Super Eagles of Nigeria stands an excellent chance of ending their winless streak against the Lionel Messi inspired Argentina side.
