Journalist Notices Something Unusual In Lionel Messi Before He Makes A 'Confession' To Him

Lionel Messi seems to have a lot on his mind ahead of international duty with Argentina in the Copa América.

Sure, the Barcelona captain was able to lift the La Liga title with his side and also take home the Pichichi Trophy (awarded to the Spanish league's top scorer) and the European Golden Shoe, but the season didn't end the way that he had hoped.

After all, the Spanish club were humiliated as they were knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals, not to mention losing in the Copa del Rey final to Valencia last week.

Now, Sport's César Menotti had the opportunity to recently meet with the 31-year-old Argentine forward and noticed something odd in his interaction with him, adding that he also made a 'confession' to him during their chat.

"I must say that we spoke more about Barcelona than Argentina in this first meeting. I could see he was hurting," he wrote in his piece for the Spanish newspaper.

"And very aware of the complex situation the club is going through after failing to win the Champions League.

"He's also struggling to take in the painful defeat against Liverpool. I could see he was upset.

"I tried to calm him down by saying that while he's given so much to Barça with his quality, these things can happen.

"And we coincided that his worry is also mine, the uncertainty that the club's immediate future is provoking.

"And the need to return the primary idea, style and mystic, which he also feels is his because he's another Catalan in the sense that he feels Barça's philosophy as much as anyone.

"What I heard in his words is a Messi concerned about the direction the club will take from now and the need to make it clear where the project is heading."

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner even admitted last week that the defeat to Liverpool affected him, with earlier reports suggesting that he broke down in tears in the Anfield dressing room after their 4-0 thrashing in the second leg.

How far will Argentina progress in this summer's Copa América?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Champions League, Argentina, Copa America, Copa del Rey, La Liga, Camp Nou

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9