Gabriel MERCADO was the talking point of many in Argentina in regards to an injury which he sustained over the weekend.
The Sevilla defender was substituted off for his club last weekend due to an injury and thankfully for the player and his country, it wasn’t anything serious. Upon arriving to Argentina last Friday, Gabriel MERCADO spoke to the media about his recovery and how he felt about the possibility of not going to the World Cup
“I’M FEELING A LITTLE BIT BETTER NOW, ITS BEEN A FEW DAYS BUT THERE IS STILL SOME DISCOMFORT THOUGH IT’S JUST MINIMAL. FROM WHAT THE DOCTOR HAS REPORTED, I’M AVAILABLE.”
MERCADO was substituted in Sevilla’s match against Betis after suffering discomfort on his back. He admitted that he was scared about missing the World Cup.
“I WAS SCARED BECAUSE IT WAS A SIMILAR EPISODE THAT HAPPENED TO ME LAST TIME AND IT COST ME THE WORLD CUP. FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MY MIND IS THAT I COULD MISS THE WORLD CUP BUT THANK GOD IT WASN’T THE CASE THIS TIME.”
Despite this setback, MERCADO is confident that he is good to go to Russia.
“I’M VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING PART OF THE 23 PLAYERS IN JUNE. YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR JORGE (SAMPAOLI) TO RELEASE THE LIST EVEN THOUGH HE HAS ALREADY SPOKE TO US ON WHAT IS OUR ROLE AT THE WORLD CUP.”
However, MERCADO still remains cautious. He was originally named by Alejandro SABELLA for the World Cup in Brazil but did not make the cut for the final squad.
“YOU HAVE TO BE RESPECTFUL WITH YOUR TEAMMATES AND WAIT BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ON THE LIST ONE DAY AND NOT THE NEXT. I UNDERSTAND THAT SITUATION VERY WELL EVEN THOUGH WE ALL HAVE AMBITIONS AND WANT TO WIN THE WORLD CUP.”
Finally when asked about Argentina’s farewell match that will take place at La Bombonera.
“WE ARE HERE TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE FANS AT THE VENUE CHOSEN BY THE AFA.”