Leo Messi missed a chance to add to his honours list in last night’s Copa América final and according to BeIN Sports, the player was so distraught that he felt unable to collect the MVP award, which he was supposed to be given for being the best player of the tournament.
The Argentine had earlier refused to pick up the MVP for ending as man of the match in the 2-2 draw with Paraguay in the team’s opening game. On that occasion, tournament organizers decided to withdraw the trophy rather that give it to someone else – as can be seen in the video broadcast by BeIN. The player did however put his disappointment on hold for a brief moment - to pose for a selfie with a young Chile fan while Argentina remained out on the final at the Nacional after the final whistle.
It is unusual for organizers of the Copa América to suddenly withdraw a trophy which has been handed out in every edition since 1987. In the previous edition of the Copa América, it went to Messi’s Barça team mate Luis Suárez.
Messi’s refusal to accept the MVP award after the Paraguay match almost incurred a fine but CONMEBOL decided against it. The Argentina number 10 was named man of the match in four of the six games the team played in Chile. Almost a year ago, Messi was voted man of the match in the World Cup final against Germany and on that occasion he did accept the award.