Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi has said that winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with the Argentina national team “was like closing the circle.”
Messi achieved a long-awaited goal last month, leading the Argentina national team to its third World Cup trophy. From the 10 total goal contributions to the two goals scored in the final against France, Messi rose to the occasion for La Albiceleste in the tournament.
Messi’s run with Argentina has been a roller-coaster one, from being a runner-up in four different international tournaments to now having three winners’ medals from three straight finals wins with La Albiceleste. Amid the ups and downs in Messi’s international career, the World Cup triumph with Argentina put the finishing touches on his career resume.
“There were times when I suffered a lot with the national team, many disappointments, with lost endings,” Messi said during a recent appearance on Urbana Play 104.3 FM’s ‘Perros de la Calle’ radio program. “I had received a lot of criticism of all colors and I know that my family suffered the same as me or more. Unfair things were said towards me that went beyond football, and that is what really bothered me. It was like closing the circle, we won the Copa América, we won the World Cup, that’s it.
“I achieved everything with the national team as I always dreamed of, achieved everything in my career, at Barcelona, individually. It was like closing my career in a unique way.”
Messi now has much of his attention on the remainder of his second campaign with PSG, where he will look to help the club win a pair of domestic titles and this season’s UEFA Champions League tournament.
