Argentine World Cup winner Angel Di Maria has revealed a series of incidents that changed Lionel Messi's behaviour.
An angry Messi is a scary sight, according to ex-Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria.
Messi had a famous bust-up with Poland striker Robert Lewandowski and another in the quarter-finals of the World Cup with the Netherlands coaching staff, a game in which Argentina eventually prevailed on penalties.
Di Maria on how Messi changed
Di Maria revealed that he knew Messi was fired up once he saw a smile on his face.
"I realized it, you realized it, my grandmother realized it..." Di Maria said, on seeing the grin. "These are things of his, that sometimes stay inside him. When you talk about him, he throws it to you in a note or he does it to you on the field
The Benfica winger also noted that Messi's persona changed when he first tasted international success at the Copa America in 2021.
"After winning the Copa América 2021, Messi was another man," Di Maria added.
"He began to have another character, which he had but didn't show it so much. After that cup, he started not to keep quiet".
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