Lionel Messi is currently experiencing one of the sweetest moments of his career: champion with Inter Miami and reigning world champion with the Argentina national team.
However, his career wearing the Albiceleste shirt has been full of ups and downs, including dark moments when he was close to giving up and stepping away from the national team.
Recently, in an interview on the streaming channel LUZU, the Argentine star revealed how difficult things were for him with Argentina when results or his personal performances did not meet expectations.
“They insulted me, things were going badly for me, the results were not in our favor. The ones who suffered the most were my family, because they were the ones who stayed in Argentina,” he said.
Although today he is an absolute idol in Argentina, it was not always like this.
Wearing the number 10 shirt, he also had to carry the burden of living up to what Maradona had achieved with the national team in the past.
After a series of failures and lost finals, Messi experienced tense moments with the fans, completely different from his time at Barcelona, where he was already an undisputed idol.
“At Barcelona I was spectacular. But I went to Argentina and I was a stranger,” he added.
The Argentine number 10 also emphasized that his family suffered the most from the criticism of his performances with the national team, as he tried to stay away from social media and analytical shows, while it was impossible for his family to avoid them.
“They followed the shows, the criticism, and many things that I didn’t know about because I didn’t watch them. But they knew everything and suffered a lot. For me, everyday life made me think only about what was coming next,” Messi continued.
Fortunately for Messi, those times are now behind him, and today very few people in Argentina doubt that he is one of the greatest players in history.
He was the key figure in winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and is likely to be part of the squad for the 2026 World Cup, where Argentina are considered one of the favorites to reach the final.
With Inter Miami, he has also had an immediate impact, becoming the tournament’s top scorer and assist provider, as well as winning the first MLS Cup in the history of the Herons.
