Brazil midfielder, Casemiro, has paid tribute to Argentina captain Lionel Messi, ahead of both teams’ Copa America final tie on Sunday.
Casemiro described Messi as a great player, adding that he admires the Barcelona captain a lot.
Brazil reached the Copa America final after defeating Peru 1-0 in the semi-final, while Argentina eliminated Colombia.
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“Argentina are a team with players of the highest level,” Casemiro said at his pre-match press conference. “They’re not about just one player.
“We know the quality that Messi has, he’s a great player, but we have to value the entire Argentine team and we have to respect them all.
“It’s not just Messi and Lautaro [Martinez] either. We can’t concentrate only on the two of them. They’re top quality players and two of the [players at the] highest level in the world, but Argentina reached the final due to the team, their players.
“We have respect for everyone. I admire him a lot, but Argentina are not only Messi and the defensive power of the Brazilian team is not just Casemiro.”