No problem with Pekerman, says Messi

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Keywords: Jose Pekerman, Lionel Messi

Buenos Aires: Argentina forward Lionel Messi said on Thursday he could not face watching the rest of the World Cup after his team went out in the quarter-finals to hosts Germany on penalties.

"After we lost to Germany, I didn't watch any more World Cup games," he told Argentine television.

"I didn't know about anything that was going on. The final? I didn't watch it."

The speedy teenager was surprisingly left on the bench for the Germany game by coach Jose Pekerman and did not even come on as a substitute when the German defence was flagging.

Argentina lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

"You'll have to ask Pekerman why I didn't get to play more," he said. "There were 23 very good players."

But Messi said he did not bear a grudge against Pekerman, who resigned following the tournament.

"I had no problem with Pekerman, he took me to the World Cup and gave me my debut. He's a very good coach, he's very good at leading a group. I wouldn't be unhappy if he continued."

Messi said the 2006 World Cup was overall a positive experience for him. "I played my first World Cup, I made my debut at the age of 18. On the personal side, that was positive. It was a strange World Cup in which the best teams got knocked out. Argentina were eliminated when we were playing the best football."