Messi: 'Argentina still keeps her feet on the ground'

Messi commented that Argentina's 1-0 win over Ecuador on the morning of September 8 was difficult, different from recent friendly matches when the team won easily.

"What we have done recently is historic, but that doesn't mean you guys are complacent," Messi said after the match. "If we fall just a little bit, the opponent will punish us because the upcoming matches will be as difficult as today. The whole team must keep their feet on the ground, otherwise they will fail."

Messi scored the only goal of the game with a free kick from about 20 meters in the 78th minute. In the 89th minute, he signaled to be substituted and coach Lionel Scaloni agreed. At that time, many spectators on the Momumental field stood up and raised their hands and bowed to show their admiration for the 36-year-old superstar.

There are also many people worried about Messi's injury, because this is the first time in more than nine years that he has been substituted in an official match of Argentina. In the post-match press conference, coach Scaloni also said that the captain felt something was wrong, and would be checked the next day. "If Messi doesn't proactively ask to leave, I won't replace him."

However, Messi said that he only felt a little tired, and that this seems to be a matter of age. "It won't be the last time I have to leave the pitch in the last minutes," he said.

Argentina increased its winning streak to 11 matches, including penalty shootouts. In the last five friendly matches, Scaloni and his team all won blankly, scoring 14 goals and conceding no goals. However, Messi believes that Ecuador is the most difficult opponent, and the match is very physical.

Coach Scaloni also believes that Ecuador is the strongest team in the world. "World Cup qualifying for South America is the most difficult," he added. "If someone doesn't think so, they can argue with me and I'll point it out to them."

The 2026 World Cup qualifying round in South America includes 10 teams: Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and Ecuador, playing in a two-round round robin. The top six teams in the qualifying round will attend the 2026 World Cup finals, while the seventh-placed team will compete for tickets with opponents from other regions.