Ahead of the first anniversary of Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2022 triumph, Lionel Messi revealed that everyone in his country loved him after the triumph even those who once said 'bad things' about him.
Messi, who is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation, was missing the elusive title from his highly illustrious cabinet. The Argentine striker recently won his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or title apart from other numerous club titles in his career.
Messi's performance for Argentina attracted a lot of criticism until he turned his fortune to become the World Cup winner beating France on penalties in the final in Doha. He joined the likes of legendary Diego Maradona to win the coveted title for Argentina.
“I had a bad time. My family and the people who love me did too. (Critics in Argentina) were very unfair to a generation of players and they said a lot of bad things about me. I’m not spiteful,” Messi said in an interview on “Champions, a Year Later”, a special on Disney Star+.
“I feel it like a triumph for me to have changed that situation and won over all the people of Argentina. Today 95 percent or 100 percent of Argentines love me and that’s a beautiful feeling," he added.
The 36-year-old elaborated on how he felt about not winning the World Cup despite lifting every other trophy at club level with Barcelona.
“It is the thing most everyone desires. Everyone dreams big and the biggest is to be a world champion with your national team. I was lucky to achieve everything at the club level with Barcelona and also at the individual level. This was the only thing that eluded me. There are very few players who can say that they have achieved everything and thanks to God I am one of them,” Messi said.
“If you put in the effort, sacrifice, work and humility, in the end, you achieve your goals. The road can be hard, but you have to keep fighting for your dreams to try to achieve them. I always loved playing football, coming to the national team and being on the field, but I never enjoyed it like today," he added.