On July 22 local time, the Argentine Football Association officially released an article responding to Messi's failure to win the World Cup Best Player award.
The Argentine Football Association's official website stated: "Messi once again demonstrated his enduring strength on the world's highest stage of football. Despite being 39 years old, he still contributed an outstanding performance of 8 goals and 4 assists, leading Scaloni's team as a core force throughout the tournament. The Argentine captain was also embroiled in one of the biggest controversies of this World Cup: despite his decisive role in Argentina's journey, he failed to be selected as the tournament's best player."
The original text from the Argentine Football Association's official website is as follows:
