Public opinion is outraged over the issue of 'Messi's faction'.

Some reports suggest that coach Edgardo Bauza frequently favors "Messi's faction" when selecting the starting lineup for the Argentine national team.

Public opinion began to voice concerns after Argentina's recent loss to Paraguay. Initially, a newspaper accused coach Bauza of showing too much favoritism towards Messi's friends. One of the mistakes the newspaper pointed out was fielding Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria, who were both out of form.

Going further, a commentary program on Fox Sports questioned whether the Argentina national team was merely "Messi's club of friends." The channel also raised the question of whether Messi opposed the call-up of striker Mauro Icardi to the national team.

Messi and coach Bauza are facing public controversy following the team's defeat.

Icardi scored 58 goals in 111 appearances for Inter Milan and was considered one of the most highly-rated strikers in Serie A. However, he has only made one appearance for the Argentina national team.

According to Fox Sports, Messi may have objected to calling up Icardi because he didn't want to upset his friend Maxi Lopez. Wanda Nara, Icardi's current wife, was Lopez's ex-wife. Nara only divorced Lopez after her relationship with Icardi was exposed.

In Argentina, even legend Diego Maradona disliked Icardi. When asked why the striker had only been called up to the national team once, the former star said: "I don't know, and I don't want to talk about traitors."

Meanwhile, Icardi reacted strongly to Maradona: "I don't want to talk about someone who has never been a role model for others."

According to VNE