We love Lionel Messi but we’re not here to watch him play, says Nigeria coach

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr says his team love Lionel Messi but will have no qualms about knocking his Argentina team out of the World Cup on Tuesday.

The two teams clash in a crucial match which could see either team go out of the competition and Rohr says his team want to win.

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“We love this great player Messi, everybody loves him. But the question for us is not if it’s the last World Cup for him,” he said.

”We are not here to watch him play. We’re here to get a result. We are professionals and we have to defend the colours of Nigeria. In football, there is no mercy, no pity. Everybody wants to win.”

Argentina have a good record against Nigeria and have won all four World Cup meetings against the Super Eagles. The last time the two sides met was at the 2014 World Cup when Argentina won 3-2 and Messi scored two.