Lionel Messi narrates why he dribbled Robert Lewandowski in anger at the Qatar 2022 World Cup clash between Argentina and Poland.
In a candid interview, football superstar Lionel Messi opened up about his journey from scathing anger towards Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski to eventual reconciliation during the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Messi’s Argentina came up against Lewandowski’s Poland in the tournament’s group stages, and the Inter Miami star revealed recently that he carried resentment against the Pole before and during the encounter.
What happened
Messi’s sparkling performance that led Argentina’s 2-0 win over the Central European nation, as he explained lately, was fueled partly by his anger against the captain of the opposing team.
The match pitted two of the best footballers in the world against each other, who were in direct competition for the 2021 Ballon d’Or crown. Messi’s pipped the Pole to the award, and his acceptance speech contained consolatory remarks towards the former Borussia Dortmund striker.
The aggrieved Lewandowski was unsatisfied by this show of sympathy and was quoted as having termed Messi’s speech “empty words.” Messi was admittedly offended by what he understood Lewandowski to have said, and he expressed this displeasure through dribbling.
What Messi said
Recalling the incident, Messi, according to Albiceleste Talk, stated, “Lewandowski’s statements bothered me because when I won the Ballon d’Or, I said the thing I really felt, but for him to speak in this way bothered me.”
He further admitted, “I ignored him during the game because it was him, and I was angry and thought he shouldn’t have said what he said. I was very angry. If I was deliberately dribbling because it was him? Yes.”
Messi and Lewandowski’s reconciliation
Following the match, Messi and Lewandowski had a conversation to clear the air, where they both acknowledged the misunderstanding.
Messi explained, “After that, we met and talked and agreed that it was a misunderstanding. He was upset because what he said didn’t match fully on the internet. Then he went to Barcelona, and we talked about many things about the club, the city, and everything.”
Meanwhile, Messi is auctioning his match jerseys from the triumphant FIFA 2022 run that saw the Albiceleste become world champions for the first time since 1986.
