Hector Castellanos tells how he got Messi’s shirt and reveals what the crack told him during Argentina and Honduras

From the first minute Hector “little dog” Castilians He did not stop breathing in the neck Leo Messiwho scored two goals in Argentina win 3-0 In a friendly match against Honduras played on Hard Rock in Miami.

The midfielder was chosen by the coach Diego Vazquez To give a solo follow up to a star Paris Saint-GermainAt the end of the match, he ended up exchanging a shirt.

Watch: This was the moment when Messi gave his shirt to Castellanos

before the media, Castilians Connect with enough passion and humility his experience in the game Messiwith whom he shared a few sentences before his overwhelming personal trademark until he left in the 76th minute of the match.

– What did he say –

Messi’s celebration from the beginning

Those were the instructions and what he was trained. He had to do it and I think he did it in a great way. Coach Diego Vazquez told me that he will personally identify Messi from the first day of the training camp (Monday).”

How did you prepare to teach the lion?

“I was given a player with very good ball-handling qualities, it was Joe Benavides, who was shown videos of Leo’s moves, while they taught me how a player marked him in a match he played against Girona when he was at Barcelona.

They made me do these pointing motions, and I had to follow him (Gao), and also see how Leo was shaped, which he does very well.

What did he tell you during the match?

“I’ll be honest with you,” he said to me and he’s very nice and quiet: ‘Aren’t you following me throughout the game? ‘I answered ‘By the truth that yes, crack’; Leo smiled. He didn’t tell me more, since then I seemed annoyed from time to time (laughs), but he didn’t say anything rude to me.

How was your experience distinguishing it?

“It was a mental duel with him, not a physical one. Sometimes he stayed in an offside position and made me work twice because I had to be careful to cut him back with the midfield.

In terms of the result, I think maybe it was not expected, it was not the result that was due, Honduras wanted to win, but we have to realize that we were facing one of the favorites to win the World Cup.”

Messi scored the goals but you took the shirt…

“I’m wearing the shirt, I won a lot today (laughs). At the end of the match we made eye contact and I was just going to ask him to replace the shirt, but he remembered that and pointed it at him because he said yes before. I asked him the moment he asked me if I would tag him throughout the match.”