West Ham target Gary Medel was sent off in the Copa America third-place play-off. Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Chile’s Medel were involved in an altercation and both were sent off.
It came in the 37th minute with Argentina 2-0 up. As the ball went out of play, Messi nudged Medel, who reacted furiously. He squared up to Messi and continued to bump into him before both players were given straight red cards.
Gary Medel: ‘The Pitbull’
Medel has built up a reputation for this sort of thing. Nicknamed ‘The Pitbull‘, Medel now has four international red cards. He also has four domestic red cards to show his hot-headed nature.
But West Ham still want to sign the 31-year-old, who can play in defence or midfield. Various media outlets (including Fanatik) claim West Ham are interested in Medel this summer.
Manuel Pellegrini knows his fellow countryman well and likes his versatility. But Medel was at the centre of controversy against Argentina, once again casting doubt over his temperament.
Here are some tweets from West Ham fans reacting to the video clip showing Medel’s red card offence.
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