Lionel Messi recently addressed the previously simmering tension with Robert Lewandowski, shedding light on the dispute that originated from comments made during the 2021 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Two years ago, after securing his seventh Ballon d’Or, Messi asserted in his speech that the canceled 2020 award should have gone to Lewandowski, who was then with Bayern Munich.
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Despite Lewandowski’s subsequent Best FIFA Men’s Player win for 2021, he did not receive a vote from Messi, leading to an acknowledgment from the Polish striker about the difficulty of understanding the sudden change in Messi’s opinion.
In an ESPN interview, Lionel Messi admitted to giving Lewandowski the cold shoulder during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup clash with Poland due to these comments.
Expressing his initial displeasure, Messi shared, “His statement bothered me. Because when I won the Ballon d’Or and said what I said, I felt it. And for him to speak the way he spoke, it bothered me.”
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However, Lionel Messi revealed that the two players later crossed paths, had a conversation, and resolved the misunderstanding. Recounting a specific on-field incident during the World Cup clash, Messi said, “I dribbled past him because it was him.
I was upset, I thought what he said didn’t fit. He was hot. Then he went to Barcelona, we talked a lot about the club, the city, and everything was fine.”
Interestingly, Messi’s teammate, Angel Di Maria, disclosed that Messi deliberately targeted Lewandowski during a match last year.
Di Maria explained, “Even my grandmother realized that Messi was deliberately confronting Lewandowski,” highlighting Messi’s intense passion and the tendency to respond to criticism on the field.
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Reflecting on Messi’s competitive spirit, Di Maria emphasized the impact of disrespect towards the football legend, noting that such comments tend to fuel Messi’s determination and potentially create challenges for opponents.
This insight into Messi’s mindset adds a layer to the narrative surrounding the Ballon d’Or controversy, revealing the intricacies of interpersonal dynamics in the world of football.
