Manchester United star Lisandro Martinez sent a clear-cut message to one Argentina star after his country’s 2-0 win over Canada on Friday at the 2024 Copa America.
World Cup holders Argentina won the previous Copa America tournament in 2021 after Lionel Scaloni’s men secured a 1-0 win over host nation Brazil.
Lionel Scaloni’s side built on their 2021 Copa America triumph by going on to lift the World Cup trophy in 2022 after a thrilling penalty shootout win over France in Qatar.
Argentina began their Copa America title defence on Friday in their opening Group A encounter against Canada at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Lisandro Martinez, who made his Argentina debut under Scaloni, started the match alongside Tottenham defender Cristian Romero in the heart of defence.
The 26-year-old Manchester United defender impressed with his performance, with Martinez seeing out the full 90 minutes at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Martinez responds to Argentina teammate
Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez opened the scoring after the break for Argentina before Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez added his side’s second.
Lisandro Martinez took to social media after the 2-0 win over Canada and praised Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister for his performance.
Alexis Mac Allister arrived at Anfield in 2023 after an impressive season with Brighton and his performances at the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.
The 25-year-old World Cup winner, much like Martinez, played the full 90 minutes against Canada and provided the assist for Julian Alvarez’s second-half opener.
Argentina star Mac Allister posted a heartfelt message on Instagram after he made his Copa America debut with the defending champions.
“Copa America debut with victory!” he wrote.
“Thanks to my family and everyone who always with us. Happy Flag Day! [sic] All together, let’s go.”
Martinez’s Instagram account was spotted in the comments and the Manchester United star wrote “Lo que jugassss,” which roughly translates to ‘what a player.’
Martinez on Copa America expectation
Argentina are top of Group A and will play Chile on 26th June before facing Peru on 30th June, with Lionel Scaloni’s men expected to reach the knockout stages.
Speaking ahead of the Copa America, Martinez insisted that Argentina could not play down the opposition teams they could face in their bid to defend their title.
“Copa America is a complicated tournament,” he said earlier this month, as per ESPN.
“Without a doubt, everyone wants to beat us because we’re the reigning champions.
“But if we go into it thinking of a couple ‘favourites’ or ‘strong teams’ we’re only hurting ourselves. We know what we represent, so every game for us is a final.
“Our expectation is to win Copa America.”