Javier Mascherano believes his Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi can inspire Argentina to victory in the World Cup.
Marca reports Mascherano as saying Messi is the player who can make the difference for La Albiceleste, as he has done throughout the tournament so far.
“Messi is the best player on the team, in the world, he carries the flag, excites us, makes us believe, and is the one who can make our dreams of being champions into reality, because he is from another planet,” Mascherano said.
“Hopefully [against the Netherlands] he will be as decisive as he has been in previous games. We trust him – he is our guide.
“We try to support him so he can continue doing what he’s done so far. He’s an example for everyone.
“Messi caught fire against Bosnia-Herzegovina and breathed life into us. Hopefully he can finish it off on July 13 at the Maracana.
“It’s easy to play with Messi as he’s a player for every situation. I love Lionel very much.
“He’s great on and off the pitch. All his decisions are correct and that’s different from other people.”
