Lionel Messi has disclosed that during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup encounter against Poland, he attempted to “humiliate” an opponent for the only time in his football career. During the game, the Barcelona great acknowledged that he tried to make Robert Lewandowski seem bad.
Messi’s rage stemmed from remarks made by his rival in the lead-up to the 2021 Ballon d’Or presentation, in which Messi won the award for the seventh time in his career. However, a lot of people believed that Lewandowski should have won the award because he broke the Bundesliga goal scoring record with 41 goals in just 29 games. Additionally, the striker’s post-ceremony remarks guaranteed friction between the two when they faced off at the World Cup.
Messi was ‘Bothered’ by Lewandowski’s Ballon d’Or statement, “I was very angry.”
In his 2021 acceptance speech, Messi acknowledged Lewandowski’s accomplishments at the Ballon d’Or event and said of the Polish striker: Additionally, I would like to express to Robert [Lewandowski] that I consider it an honor to oppose him. You earned your Ballon d’Or, in my opinion. Everyone thought you won last year, and I believe France Football should award you the Ballon d’Or you so richly deserve.
“And since you were the champion last year, I hope France Football can win it and you can enjoy it at home. The epidemic prevented it, but I believe you ought to have it in your home as well.
However, the Bayern Munich player at the time did not take kindly to that. Later, Lewandowski would call Messi’s remarks “empty words.” He answered fully:
“I would like it [Messi’s 2020 Ballon d’Or statement] to be a sincere and courteous statement from a great player and not just an empty words.”
The Argentine was enraged by that and declared his intention to humiliate his opponent the next time they faced one other. He said to ESPN:
“I was troubled by Lewandowski’s 2021 statement because I expressed my true feelings when I was awarded the Ballon d’Or. I was upset and felt that he shouldn’t have said what he said, so I chose to ignore him during the game because it was him. I was furious. Did I dribble on purpose because it was him? Indeed.
Angel Di Maria Sensed the Anger
The pair have since made up
“I realized it, you realized it, my grandmother realized it,” Messi’s teammate Angel Di Maria told Marca, acknowledging that he understood what his partner was attempting to do to his opponent. These are his possessions that occasionally remain inside of him. He either throws it to you in a note or does it to you in court when you bring him up.
Messi did, however, add that following the game, the two discussed their problems and that the whole situation was a mistake. After relocating to Barcelona, Lewandowski questioned Messi about his time at Camp Nou.
The Argentine claimed, “After that, we met and talked and agreed that it was a misunderstanding.” “What he said didn’t match what was reported, which disturbed him. He then traveled to Barcelona, where we discussed a wide range of topics, including the club, the city, and everything else.
Lewandowski vs. Messi in Barcelona
The player
Messi
Lewandowski
Games
778
147
Objectives
672
101
Helps
303
20
xz
