It is a story that circulates in a low voice behind the scenes of Argentinian football. A tenacious rumor, which no one really dares to confirm, but that everyone knows. Lionel Messi, the genius, the idol of a whole people, would also be the one who makes the rain and the good weather in selection. A simple frowning from him, and your international career can stop net. A new case, revealed in the United States, has just put a piece in this fantasy machine.
Messi: “You will never play for selection again”
The man by whom the scandal arrives is called Pedro de la Vega. During the League Cup final between his club, the Seattle Sounders, and the Inter Miami of Messi, an altercation broke out between the two Argentines. And it is there that, according to former American player Alan Gordon, Messi would have dropped a murderous sentence to his young compatriot: “As long as I am there, you will never play for selection again. »» A barely veiled threat, an international “red card” brandished in the middle of a match.
The accusation is very serious. She suggests that the Albiceleste captain uses his status to settle his personal accounts and directly influence the coach's choices. De la Vega, he tried to calm the game, speaking of a simple “Made of match”. But the evil is done. The little sentence rekindled the memory of another ” banned “ famous.
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The previous Mauro Icardi
This is not the first time that Messi has been accused of using his influence to dismiss a player. The most emblematic case remains that of Mauro Icardi. A prolific scorer, Icardi almost never had a chance in selection. The unofficial reason? His relationship with Wanda Nara, the ex-wife of Maxi López, a friend very close to … Lionel Messi. A personal veto that would have cost Icardi a participation in the 2018 World Cup.
These stories draw a less brilliant facet of the idol. That of a man who, behind his smooth image, would be capable of a form of gentle tyranny. A king who does not tolerate any dispute. For the moment, these accusations remain at the rumor stage. But they a little more tarnish the myth. And they recall that even the greatest geniuses sometimes have their shadow share.
