Lionel Messi said very little, but the Barcelona striker is more than keen to disprove his critics back home who accuse him of underperforming for the national side as Argentina face Japan in a friendly on Friday night.
"I came to Japan because I have something to show in the match," the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year said after Argentina's training session at Tokyo's National Stadium on Thursday.
The 23-year-old Messi has felt the heat from the Argentina media after Diego Maradona's side crashed out in the quarterfinals at this summer's World Cup. He did not score a single goal in South Africa, and has become the scapegoat for the team's failures.