FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, who is known to stay silent during Argentina's national anthem, has revealed why he sang the chorus of the Albiceleste's anthem prior to their Copa America victory over Venezuela.
Lionel Scaloni's side advanced to the semi-finals of the South American spectacle after easing past Venezuela with a 2-0 victory on Friday night to set up a mouthwatering clash against host-nation and arch-rivals Brazil.
Prior to his side's quarter-final victory, Messi surprised many by singing his country's national anthem. This after the 32-year-old had previously explained why he normally does not sing the anthem, claiming he does not need added motivation to feature for Argentina.
Read: Chelsea confirm player exits
"Today I felt like it, so I sang (the national anthem)," he said, as per Marca.
Messi, who is looking to clinch his first major international trophy with Argentina, also gave an honest assessment of his individual performance at the Copa tournament thus far.
"The truth is that it's not been my best Copa America, not what I expected," he added.
"We know it is fundamental that if we want to play the top three, we must run and help in defence.
"It is a cup match, anyone beats anyone. It is difficult to play, the pitches are bad. It is a shame that all the pitches are like this in a Copa America."
Argentina and Brazil will do duty on Wednesday morning, with kick-off set for 02:30 SA time.