Messi exchanged jerseys with the 17-year-old player of the Ecuadorian national team.
Messi made headlines by exchanging jerseys with the 17-year-old Ecuadorian talent, Kendry Paez.
As soon as the match concluded, cameras captured the touching moment when Messi, the captain of “La Albiceleste,” removed his shirt and handed it to Paez. The two shared a heartfelt handshake and embrace, marking a memorable gesture of sportsmanship.
Paez had an impressive performance against the Argentina national team. “He handles the left, right and middle of the field so well,” an account on X (Twitter) commented. Another commented: “His future is really bright.”
Paez once caused a fever in his homeland with Independiente del Valle. In the match against the defending Copa America champions, this midfielder born in 2007 also wore the number 10 shirt.
Chelsea ‘s homepage also announced that Paez will be a player of the club starting in the summer of 2025. The camera captured the image of this 17-year-old player shaking hands with Enzo Fernandez – a midfielder on the Stamford Bridge team’s payroll, after the match. match against Argentina.
With his name on the Copa America registration list of coach Felix Sanchez’s team, many fans are waiting for Paez’s performance in the upcoming tournament.
As for Messi, the Inter Miami striker was judged by fans to have had a lackluster performance in the match against Ecuador. However, Argentina still won 1-0 thanks to Angel Di Maria ‘s goal .
“La Albiceleste” will have one more friendly match with the Guatemala national team. After that, coach Lionel Scaloni’s team will begin the campaign to defend the championship at Copa America 2024.
