Emi Martinez has praised Lionel Messi for attending Argentina’s World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia despite being injured and unable to play.

The Argentina skipper missed his nation’s match against Bolivia in La Paz after being replaced late in Thursday’s victory over Ecuador. But Messi elected to stay with his teammates as they endured the taxing journey to 3,600 meters above sea level for the second of their World Cup qualifying double-header, something that impressed his goalkeeper, rather than flying off to start his recovery in Miami.

After his team had comfortably won 3-0, Martinez told the media, “There is hunger. The same captain could have left with us but chose to stay. We are pleased that he still cares about, loves, and supports us in that way. I am honored to support these lads.

The Aston Villa player, who frequently receives harsh greetings from rival fans, was thrilled to receive a positive reception from Bolivian fans. Martinez laughed, “Usually people don’t like me much outside of Argentina. However, today’s Bolivians astonished me by chanting my name, and I have great respect for this nation.

The Argentina camp appears to be in a good mood right now as they are still basking in the success of their World Cup victory in Qatar in December. And with the defense of their trophy off to a strong start, there doesn’t seem to be a pressing threat to those positive feelings.

After leaving their individual clubs, Argentina’s athletes will reunite in October for qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru.