Lionel Messi has revealed he feels lucky to have a track record few can match, as he reflects on Argentina’s World Cup triumph a year ago.
As part of the new Star+ show “ Champions, one year later”, Messi has spoken of his satisfaction at finally winning the World Cup trophy for Argentina – the one prize missing from his award-rich career. Messi looks back on the criticism he faced in the years leading up to the tournament and his satisfaction at having managed to silence, then convince, his fiercest detractors in Argentina.
Argentina’s success in last year’s tournament allowed Messi to cement his footballing legacy alongside the best players in history. While many already considered the striker to be the greatest player in history before the tournament, winning the World Cup put Messi unequivocally alongside the likes of Pele and Maradona. The former PSG explained that the love he receives today from Argentines, even a year after the celebrations, is the result of his perseverance.
Messi spoke about his pre-tournament suffering on this show: “I had a bad time. My family and the people who love me too. (The critics were very unfair to a generation of players and said a lot of bad things about me. Today, 95 or 100% of Argentinians love me and it’s a wonderful feeling.
“I had the chance to achieve everything at club level with Barcelona, but also on an individual level. Only the World Cup escaped me. There are very few players who can say they have achieved everything and, thank God, I am one of them. »
As a reminder, Messi and Argentina will participate in the Copa América next year, in order to defend their title and add a new trophy to Messi’s collection. As for the 2026 World Cup, it remains to be seen whether La Pulga will still play for Argentina, after admitting he was playing in a lower level league, in MLS.
