Gary Lineker has defended his praise of Lionel Messi during Argentina’s 3-0 semi-final win over Croatia and says football fans should “savour every second” the Argentine wizard is on their screens.
The 35-year-old has won man of the match in four of his six World Cup appearances, scoring five goals and setting up three for his team-mates. But some pundits have criticized BBC presenter Lineker for praising Messi in particular.
But Lineker, 61, has hit back, insisting Messi’s incredible talent on the pitch deserves all the plaudits.
“People always tell me how much I talk about Messi, but I don’t apologize for it, and I never will, because watching him has given me so much joy, almost two decades of absolute joy,” he wrote. his BBC column.
“He’s 35 now and we don’t have much left, so we’re savoring every second.”