Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi has candidly opened up about one of his biggest regrets during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar.
Messi inspired the 2021 Copa America champions to their first World Cup title since 1986, with Argentina beating France in a thrilling penalty shootout win.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has ruled out retirement from international duty, scored seven times and registered three assists at the World Cup.
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During Argentina’s quarter-final clash with the Netherlands, Nahuel Molina opened the scoring before Messi doubled their lead from the spot-kick in the second half.
Messi was spotted cupping his ears with both hands while standing in front of ex-Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal after he found the back of the net for Argentina.
Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst, who is on loan from Burnley, came off the bench and scored a stunning second-half brace for the Netherlands.
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However, Argentina knocked 10-men Netherlands out of the World Cup with a 4-3 win on penalties, with tensions spilling over after the quarter-final tie.
Messi pulled no punches towards Netherlands international Weghorst during his post-match interview and furiously insulted the Burnley loanee.
The 35-year-old Argentine forward opened up on Argentina’s World Cup victory during an interview on Argentine radio station Urbana Play.
However, Messi regretted his actions during the win over the Netherlands at the Lusail Stadium and insisted there was a lot of “tension” and “nerves” at the time.
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“I don’t like what I did, I don’t like what happened afterward,” he said.
“These are moments of a lot of tension, a lot of nerves. It is very quick and people react the way they react. Nothing was planned, it just happened.”
Speaking on his incident with Weghorst, Messi added: “I reacted that way. There had been many things with this player, moments of tension like these... I was in the mixed zone, it had just happened.
“I don’t like to leave that image, but these things happen.”
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Argentina bounced back from a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their Group C opener to beat Mexico 2-0 and then picked up a 2-0 victory against Poland.
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Messi opened the scoring against Mexico in their crucial Group C clash, with the Barcelona legend admitting their South American rivals were their “toughest” opponents.
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“It was the worst match we played because of all the things involved in winning it or not,” he said.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Football World Cup, Football