Argentina star Lionel Messi has revealed the one nation whose early elimination from the 2022 FIFA World Cup left him stunned.
The current tournament has seen a number of teams that were initially tipped to go far in the tournament exit at a stage much earlier than many expected.
Belgium, Cameroon and Germany were all sent home at the end of the group phase, with Japan and Morocco surprising many by topping their respective groups.
Read: Uruguay star facing 15-game ban for 'elbowing assistant referee'
Argentina produced the first shock of the showpiece when they lost to Saudi Arabia in their World Cup opener, but the Middle East nation ended up losing their next two matches and exiting the competition.
As things stand, there are 12 teams left in the tournament, and Messi has now revealed that Germany's exit left him shocked.
"Yes, I was surprised. Because they had many important players, a young team and because Germany is always among the best," he said, according to the Daily Mirror.
"It is surprising that, again in a World Cup, they are eliminated in the first round.
"But this is the World Cup, which shows how difficult it is, how even everything is, and that the name of the team no longer matters, but what is seen on the pitch and everything is more and more even."
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar also spoke about his nation's ambitions in Qatar.
Read: 'Godlike' Messi hailed for World Cup performance
"Argentina is a power and is always among the best teams," Messi added.
"We knew that, before coming here, we were one of the candidates because of what we had been doing and we had to prove it on the pitch.
"And luckily we have been doing it and hopefully we will continue taking small steps."
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: MESSI'S FANS CELEBRATE QUARTER-FINAL PROGRESSION