Durban-born Keanu Baccus has explained why he ended up kicking Lionel Messi when he faced the Argentina superstar with Australia at the World Cup.
Baccus, the younger brother of former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Kearyn Baccus, plays for St Mirren in Scotland and faced Messi in the round of 16 at the World Cup, with Australia losing 2-1.
The 24-year-old made his starting XI debut for the Socceros after jumping onto the World Cup train following his international debut in September.
Baccus and Australia overall surprised many at the World Cup by making it out of Group D ahead of Tunisia and Denmark but it was the end of the road against Messi’s Argentina.
The midfielder now opened up on facing the Argentina superstar, saying it was somewhat of a surreal experience.
“He’s just special. To be honest he looks fake on the field,” he said, as per The Herald Scotland.
“A bit like a wax statue, to be honest. I was trying to learn from him but it’s hard when you’re in the thick of the action. He just looks surreal. There’s not a blemish on his face.
“Then there’s the way he plays and how he sees the game.
“He just sees the game differently in his head and it’s special to see now. Imagine what it was like a couple of years ago.
“You end up thinking you shouldn’t be so close to him. He’s such an icon to the Argentine fans. It’s crazy to see the passion they have towards him.
“I didn’t really stand in awe of him though. I ended up kicking him a couple of times instead.
“I didn’t mean to hurt him but I’m a front-foot player and I wanted to stick to him and the whole team and show we’re there to compete.”
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While Australia are out of the tournament, Argentina will now face the Netherlands in their quarter-final on Friday.
