With the Argentina Football Association (AFA) in alleged financial troubles, the national team bodyguards were not paid for several months.

Journalist Juan Palo Varsky, reports that the bodyguards approached Messi and complained to him about the unpaid wages during the last international break.

“Lionel Messi was in his room waiting for the game against Brazil in Belo Horizonte, when a knock at the door came,” Varsky said during an interview on the programme 'No Somos Nadie' on Metro 95.1.

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“Two or three people appeared, all from the security team who look after the Argentine team and they said ‘Leo, we have to talk with you. For five or six months they have not paid us. The situation is complicated, you are the captain of the team, you know us, we are asking for your help’.

Messi reportedly ringed his dad, Jorge who arranged the payment for the bodyguards.

During the last international break, Argentina lost 3-0 to Brazil in the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup before beating Colombia with that same score-line.

Argentina are currently in fifth place on the South America’s qualification table.