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Messi refuses to be 'painted as the son of a b****' after Argentina withdrawal

Lionel Messi says he has been carrying a pelvic injury since December after being criticised for withdrawing from international duty.

Messi had not played for Argentina since the World Cup but returned to the fold in a friendly defeat to Venezuela this month.

But he pulled out of the squad to face Morocco in another international friendly citing injury, much to the frustration of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.

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Messi faced criticism in his homeland as a result but he hit back in an interview with Buenos Aires-based FM Club 947.