Furious Lionel Messi rejects Man of the Match award for Argentina

After being awarded the Man of the Match award for Argentina's Copa America opener against Paraguay, Lionel Messi declined the prize.

The Barcelona superstar found the net to send his country 2-0 up on Saturday night, but Argentina let that lead slip and the game finished 2-2. Messi was so enraged by his team throwing the lead away that he turned down the Man of the Match award after the game. It was instead given to Paraguay's Nelson Haedo Valdez. Messi revealed his frustration over the disappointing result to reporters on Saturday night.

"We were at fault in that we should have had more of the ball in the second half and controlled the match, not them." "It’s maddening to go winning 2-0 and finish with a draw. We should have slowed the match down when they were coming at us." "Now we have to think about Uruguay and we know we must win. There’s a lot to improve and this is only the first match, now we’ve got to be calmer than ever."

Messi won't be fined for refusing to accept the award, as he would if he missed a press conference. He will be hoping his team maintain their focus better against Uruguay on Tuesday night. Hat-tip to the Mirror