Gary Medel has defended Lionel Messi after the Argentine superstar received a first red card in 14 years following a clash with the former Cardiff City midfielder.
Medel, who joined the Bluebirds from Sevilla in an £11m deal in the summer of 2013, was also sent off alongside Messi as Argentina beat Chile 2-1 in a hot-tempered Copa America third-place play-off.
Passions reached boiling point eight minutes before half time when Messi appeared to nudge over Medel as they challenged for the ball.
Medel responded by forcibly pushing his face into Messi's as the two players argued before the referee arrived and dismissed them.
It seemed harsh on Messi, who in the replays of the incident did not appear to respond aggressively to Medel's action.
It was only the second red card of his career, though Medel expressed surprise afterwards that either of them was sent off.
“I agree with Messi, didn’t even think we’d get a yellow for it," said Medel, who left the Cardiff City Stadium in August, 2014 in a £10m deal.
"There were a few shoves but that was it, the referee could’ve handled that a lot better."
Medel became a favourite amongst the Cardiff fans for his high energy game, but many also questioned the size of the transfer fee paid given he left after one season.
