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Lionel Messi: The “fraud”

  • Writer: Sekiro
    Sekiro
  • Oct 29, 2024
  • 4 min read
By Sekiro

Lionel Messi had an incredible career in his dream football club, FC Barcelona. He enrolled in their football academy, La Masia, at 13 years old and was getting called up for the first team at just 17 years of age, the youngest ever to be called upon FC Barcelona’s first team at that time. He won many trophies and broke many records while at the club but his international career with the Argentina national team saw no success, it is said that in order to taste success, one must first face failure. Lionel Messi’s international career with Argentina is evidence of this belief. After losing multiple finals with his country, Messi finally won with his national team. But within this journey to win with his national team, came criticism from his own country. His own country’s fans started calling him a fraud for not being able to achieve what he can achieve with his club FC Barcelona, and they started burning his jersey, and posters, and breaking a statue of his in Buenos Aires. 

Messi with his few of many trophies with Barcelona FC
Broken Lionel Messi Statue

Now Messi has won everything with his national team, Messi thinks about these experiences and enjoys his moments with ‘more calmness.’ During an exclusive interview for InfoBae with

famed Argentinian journalist, Pollo Alvarez, he asked if he is enjoying his time with La Albiceleste (Argentina National team) more now or if it is still the same as always. As compiled by @psg_chief on X (formally known as Twitter), captain Messi said, “Having won everything with the National team, I enjoy the moments now with more calmness and in a different way. I have had tough moments before, like reaching the World Cup final and losing, and also reaching the Copa America final thrice and losing. Now I feel a lot better”. The 2007 Copa America final where Argentina lost to Brazil aside, the third final loss in a row, having lost the World Cup 2014 final against Germany, the 2015 Copa America final against Chile, and the 2016 Copa America final once again against Chile in penalties where Messi missed his penalty. 

Messi crying after loss against Chile

These experiences with the National team forced Messi to make the decision to retire from international football. However, after a lot of requests from fans and the new Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza, he returned to International football right when Argentina was about to not make it into the 2018 World Cup and needed a win against Ecuador in the last World Cup qualifier match, Messi scoring and impacting that match saved Argentina from not making it to the World Cup, although they made a fast exit from the World Cup losing to France in the round of 16. With a new coach Lionel Scaloni before the 2019 Copa America Argentina made it to the semi-finals finals of Copa America losing to the eventual winners Brazil.


LIONEL MESSI: TRIUMPH

Going into the 2021 Copa America with the new head coach Lionel Scaloni the whole Argentina squad had a new look, and a big change in starting players with Messi leading them they were confident Messi would finally achieve National glory, and he did. After beating Brazil in the final Argentina and Messi after a long time since any international trophy, finally won an international trophy, but that was just the beginning.

Messi with Copa America Trophy

In a match between the winners from the two continents, Europe and the Americas which is known as the Finalissima Argentina the winner from the Americas faced off against Italy the winners from Europe for another trophy, where Argentina beat Italy and got another trophy within a year. 

Messi Celebrating with the Finalissima Trophy

Then came the 2022 World Cup, undoubtedly Messi’s last attempt at a World Cup Argentina went into the tournament with a 36 matches unbeaten streak, the second longest for any international team in history, they were the favorites to win, but in the first match they lost to Saudi Arabia a team that’s not even in the top 100’s for the national team in the world. The World Cup started off badly but they didn’t let that stop them, Messi scoring in every match except one, led Argentina to the final facing off against France where they had a comfortable 2-0 lead for 80 minutes until France made a comeback in 2 minutes equalizing the match thanks to Mbappe scoring both of the goals, the match went into extra time where Argentina once again scored, Messi, scoring his second and giving them the lead 3-2 but once again Mbappe scored and made it a hattrick and equalizing the match, the second ever person to score a hattrick in a World Cup final, on the 123rd minute Argentina goalkeeper made an unbelievable save from an attempt by French striker Kolo Muani. 

Emiliano Martinez unbelievable Save

The game went into penalties and Argentina won with Messi finally achieving his dream trophy and Argentina finally winning another World Cup after 36 years. Since then, Argentina have won another Copa America in 2024, and with that, Messi finally achieved his dreams of getting international glory with Argentina and more whilst proving all of his doubters and haters wrong and finally cementing his name as one of if not the greatest footballers of all time, and his name is Lionel Andres Messi. 

Lionel Messi achieving his greatest dream The FIFA World Cup


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