Argentina captain Lionel Messi believes his former national teammate Gonzalo Higuain was unfairly targeted by the press during his career.
Earlier this month, the Inter Miami centre-forward confirmed that he would hang up his boots after the conclusion of the 2022 Major League Soccer season.
In September, the striker also revealed that he dealt with a lot of abuse from supporters during his illustrious career, which affected him greatly.
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"We have to be more aware of the harm that insults can cause, because sometimes it's irreparable and people don't realise that," Higuain told ESPN.
"I put my head down for 15 years in the face of insults, in person they've never said anything to me and there comes a point when I'm not going to tolerate putting my head down anymore.
"Why don't we have the right to react? And why does someone who's not famous have the right to do so? Because we play football – some earn more money, others not, all of us deserve respect.
"If you're going to criticise me then accept the response, if not, don't criticise me. Accept that I'll reply. I'm tired of shutting up and not replying to insults. If it happens to me in person, I'm not going to tolerate any more disrespect, and even less so in front of my family."
Higuain was part of the Albiceleste side that lost three consecutive finals between 2014 to 2016, namely the 2014 FIFA World Cup and two Copa America deciders, and retired from national team in 2018, claiming his decision would be "to the delight of many people" in his nation, per ESPN.
Messi has now commented on the heavy criticism the marksman suffered and blamed the press for the resulting abuse.
"He was mistreated by a sector of journalism; people consumed that, and he took it to the pitch," the Paris Saint-Germain superstar said during an interview with DirectTV Sports.
"Higuain's situation was terrible because he had a spectacular career.
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"What he did was very difficult because he played in the best teams in the world, always performing, scoring goals, becoming champion and that's where he was marked by the Copa America, by the World Cup."
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