Bosque praise for Messi

“Messi showed what a fine player he is, but for an individual to shine more then that has to go hand in hand with collective success,” Del Bosque said ahead of Thursday’s semifinal match against the Germans in Durban.

“He was one of the players of the tournament though he remained a little hidden by the situation of his team.” Messi, who also earned praise from Spanish midfielder and Barcelona team-mate Anders Iniesta, often was forced too deep against the Germans and found himself running into a brick wall once he entered the dangerzone while Argentina, despite their individual qualities, failed in the quarterfinal properly to gel as a team. “I always thought Leo did well. It’s hard for a player as good as he is to play badly,” said Iniesta.