🚨 Michael Carrick on JJ Gabriel wiping Manchester United from his Instagram and being left out of the Brighton squad:
🗣️ Reporter: “He wiped the club off Instagram and he’s not in the squad tomorrow. Is this over?”
🗣️ Carrick:
“He’s 15. I don’t pick squads from Instagram.
He didn’t train. So he’s not in. That’s tomorrow night.
The door isn’t closed. We’re not cancelling a child.
If he wants this shirt, he puts it back on at Carrington.
Not with a caption. With boots.”
🚨 Nicolás Otamendi on Lionel Messi’s final game for Argentina:
🗣️ Nicolás Otamendi: “I knew it was my last one as well. I didn’t tell many people. I didn’t need to. Leo already knew.
The first half was nothing. A full Monumental, and no goal. I kept looking at him. He was playing it like a normal night. Touch, pass, wait. I was the one who couldn’t breathe.
Second half, he takes the corner from the left. I run in. He puts it on me. I hit it first time. 1-0.
I turned and he was already walking back. Like he’d done it a thousand times. Because he has.
They took me off after that. My last goal, my last minutes, and the man who made it didn’t even make a speech. He just pointed, the way he always does.
From the bench I watched the rest.
He finds Nico Paz. Paz curls it in. 2-0. Leo doesn’t celebrate like it’s a farewell. He celebrates like there’s another one coming.
Then the penalty. Everybody in the stadium knew. He puts it in the top corner. 3-0. That’s 126.
I was on my feet. The whole bench was. He ran toward us and I grabbed him and I said, ‘That’s it. That’s how you leave.’
He said, ‘I hit the post at the end. I wanted one more.’
I told him, ‘Leo. You made all three. The corner was mine. The pass was Paz. The penalty was yours. Benin didn’t score. You played the 90. What else did you want from a last night?’
He looked at the pitch. Then he said, ‘I just didn’t want it to feel like a last night.’
That’s the performance. Not the penalty. The fact he spent his last game setting the other two up, and still looked annoyed the post kept the fourth one out.
I scored in my last game because he put the ball on my head.
He scored in his because the night asked him to.
I don’t think he was saying goodbye.
I think he was still playing.”