2022-09-23
From the first minute Hector “the little dog” Castellanos did not stop breathing in the neck of Lionel Messiwho scored a brace in the Argentina 3-0 victory in the friendly against Honduras played at the Hard Rock in Miami.
The holding midfielder was chosen by the coach Diego Vazquez to give an individual follow-up to the star of the PSGwith whom at the end of the match he ended up exchanging the shirt.
VER: This was the moment when Messi gave his jersey to Castellanos
before the media, Castellanos He related with enough emotion and humility his experience in the game with Messiwith whom he shared a couple of phrases before his overwhelming personal brand until he left at minute 76′ of the match.
– WHAT HE SAID –
Marking Messi from the start
“Those were the instructions and what was trained. She had to do it and I think she pulled it off in a great way. Coach Diego Vázquez told me that he was going to personally mark Messi from the first day of concentration (Monday)”.
How did you prepare to mark Leo?
“I was given a player with very good characteristics in handling the ball, it was Jhow Benavídez, who was shown videos of Leo’s movements, while they taught me how a player marked him in a game he played against Girona when he was at Barcelona.
They made me do those marking movements, and I had to follow him (Jhow), as well as see how Leo was shaping up, which he does super well.
What did he say to you during the match?
“I’ll be honest with you, he said this to me being very kind and calm: ‘are you not going to follow me the whole game?’ I responded with a ‘the truth that yes, crack’; Leo smiled. He didn’t say anything else to me, from then on I would stare at him from time to time as annoyed (laughs), but he didn’t say anything rude to me”.
How was your experience marking it?
“With him it was a mental duel, not a physical one. Sometimes he stayed in an offside position and made me work double because I had to be careful to reduce him with the central line.
Regarding the result, I think that perhaps it was not expected, it was not the result that was due, Honduras wanted to win, but we must be aware that we were facing one of the candidates to win the World Cup”.
Messi scored the goals, but you took the shirt…
“I’m taking the shirt, I won a lot today (laughs). At the end of the game we made eye contact, and I was just going to motion to him to exchange the shirt, but he remembered and pointed to it since he had said yes before. I asked him for it at the time he asked me if he was going to mark him for the whole match”.
