St Mirren and Australia midfielder Keanu Baccus has detailed just how amazing it is to play against Lionel Messi in the flesh - likening arguably the greatest footballer of all-time to a 'Madame Tussauds wax statue' after his Socceroos teammates bowed out of the World Cup at Argentina's expense.
Messi was the catalyst for Australia's exit, with Baccus and his teammates embarking on a heroic run which saw them progress past Tunisia and Denmark in the group stages, earning six points in Group D and advancing to the knockout rounds. Unfortunately, Messi rose to the occasion in his 1,000th professional game for club and country by scoring the opener and creating numerous chances that his teammates somehow didn't put away as they advanced with a 2-1 win over Graham Arnold's men.
And whilst Australia covered themselves in glory as the true underdogs of the competition, St Mirren star Baccus couldn't believe just how good Paris Saint-Germain 's little magician was in real life - calling the experience to play against him 'surreal', having turned out for A-League outfit Western Sydney Warriors just six months ago with no senior caps.
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"It's surreal how good he actually is. How he watches the game, sees the game and takes it on himself, it's very special," Baccus told PLZ Soccer.
"Not many people can do that, take the ball from anywhere on the field and back yourself to be confident and to take the game on. I was trying to watch him on my shoulder to see where he was and what he was doing all the time, though it's hard to do that with the game going on.
"To be honest, he looks fake on the field, a bit like a wax statue in Madame Tussauds to be honest! It was amazing to play against him. I was trying to learn but it's hard when you're in the thick of it."
Messi's next clash will be against the Netherlands on Friday evening, in what will surely be his final World Cup tournament having turned 35 in June.
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