Lionel Messi’s return to action Saturday isn’t a coincidence. The Inter Miami star apparently has a score to settle, and he wants to do it on the pitch against LIGA MX club Monterrey in Mexico on Wednesday.
Messi “had the face of the devil” and “wanted to fight me,” Monterrey assistant coach Nico Sánchez said in an audio clip he says was shared with close friends before it was leaked publicly Friday, leading to a video apology. The audio stems from a confrontation in the locker room area after Monterrey beat Inter Miami 2-1 without Messi last Wednesday in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal matchup.
“Messi wanted to fight me,” Sánchez said in the audio leaked by Fox Sports Mexico. “I don’t think he wanted to hit me because he would have done it. He had me a centimeter away. He put his fist next to my face. I think he was looking for my reaction more than hitting me.”
Sánchez also said this about Messi: “The dwarf was possessed. He had the face of the devil.”
Sánchez reiterated “there was no fights, just pure discussion.” He also accused Inter Miami of deleting video footage of the altercation. “The videos leave them in a bad light, they deleted them.”
Sánchez apologized to Inter Miami coach Tata Martino, who Sánchez called an expletive — without much of an apology to Messi.
Inter Miami declined comment when reached by USA TODAY Sports on Saturday, following Sánchez’s remarks.
It appears the fallout has…
