Born in Buenos Aires, Feyenoord's star striker Santiago Gimenez had to face a pivotal choice in his international career: playing for Argentina, led by the iconic Lionel Messi, or Mexico, the country he moved to as a child when his father, ex-Boca Juniors Chaco Gimenez, was transferred to Veracruz.
In a recent interview with TyC Sports, the 22-year-old explained why he opted for the latter.
'Don't get me wrong, I love Messi, he's the best in history, but I wouldn't do it [join Argentina] just for Leo.
"I made the decision with my heart and am happy with it. Besides, it's always better to play against Leo."
That's quite a refreshing perspective, as most footballers typically aspire to play alongside the GOAT. Especially since Santiago is a big Barcelona and Messi fan.
Anyway, while Gimenez's national team dilemma is settled, the young talent is likely to make a significant decision at the club level in the upcoming summer.
Multiple European teams, including Barca, are closely monitoring the striker with an impressive record of 20 goals and 5 assists in 22 games this campaign.
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