Lionel Messi has confessed to making an effort to embarrass Robert Lewandowski during their encounter at the World Cup.
Despite widespread disagreement with the decision, Messi was crowned the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner ahead of Lewandowski.
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The 36-year-old acknowledged that Lewandowski deserved the award the previous year, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lewandowski, however, contested Messi’s statements on the stage in Paris, claiming they were insincere. He maintains that his remarks were taken out of context.
The ongoing feud between Messi and Lewandowski persisted into 2022. Lewandowski secured FIFA’s ‘The Best’ award, but Messi opted not to vote for him.
Their rivalry played out on the World Cup stage in Qatar as Argentina faced Poland in Group C. Messi deliberately targeted Lewandowski, taking him on in a dribble during the second half.
After Lewandowski successfully dispossessed Messi, he attempted to reconcile with the Inter Miami superstar. In an uncharacteristic move, Messi seemed to completely ignore his fellow professional.
Messi has finally addressed the incident in a recent interview with ESPN, providing his perspective on how the confrontation unfolded.
He explained: “Lewandowski’s statement in 2021 bothered me because when I won the Ballon d’Or I said what I really felt.
“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. Was I deliberately dribbling because it was him? Yes.”
The two individuals have since patched things up, and Messi now engages in conversations with Lewandowski about his experiences in La Liga.
Lewandowski realized a lifelong aspiration by joining the Catalan giants from Bayern Munich last year.
Messi added: “After that, we met and talked and agreed that it was a misunderstanding. He was upset because what he said didn’t match what was reported.
“Then he went to Barcelona and we talked about many things about the club, the city and everything.”
Prior to opting for a move to the MLS, Messi was connected with a potential return to Barcelona.
Sergio Aguero, Messi’s former teammate, recently asserted that it’s only a ‘matter of time’ until Messi reunites with the Camp Nou.
