Spain's thrashing of Argentina on Sunday was yet another reminder of just how integral Lionel Messi is to the South American team's success, according to Diego Costa.
The injured Barcelona star was forced to watch from the stands as his compatriots were humiliated in a 6-1 loss. It was Argentina's second consecutive friendly without the 30-year-old, who is dealing with a hamstring problem.
Costa opened the scoring in the lopsided affair, which matched the heaviest defeat in Argentina's illustrious history on the international stage. The Atletico Madrid forward expressed his surprise at Argentina's dip in form and insisted the country should be grateful to have Messi.
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"You have to do an analysis in all aspects," Costa told reporters. according to Harry Slavin of the Daily Mail. "The Argentines criticise Messi a lot, but you can tell that when Messi is not there, they are something else.
"A player like Messi should not be criticised. You should thank God that he's there.
"Messi must always be treated well. Even if he plays a bad game with the national team, having him on the field makes a difference."
Messi managed to make it through the majority of the one-sided encounter but opted to leave after Spain's sixth goal of the evening.
Argentina fared better in its first encounter of the international break when the two-time World Cup winner beat Italy 2-0 on Friday. La Albiceleste will open its World Cup campaign against Iceland before taking on Croatia and Nigeria in Group D.