According to a former teammate, Lionel Messi broke down in the dressing room following a Champions League loss.
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Despite his career being filled with numerous successes, including 46 team trophies, Messi has had his share of disappointments…Continue Reading
One of the most painful moments in his career was undoubtedly Argentina’s loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final.
However, the teammate disclosed that Messi’s emotional outburst actually occurred after a Barcelona match, showing just how much he cared about every game.
In 2012, Messi achieved a personal record with 91 goals in a calendar year, but it wasn’t enough to secure Barcelona a spot in the Champions League final.
Barcelona suffered a heartbreaking semi-final loss to Chelsea, who, despite being down to ten men after John Terry’s red card for an off-the-ball foul on Alexis Sanchez, held on to win 3-2 on aggregate at Camp Nou.
“In the Barcelona dressing room after the Chelsea game, I saw Leo [Messi] cry,” Sanchez told Sky Sports in 2018.
“That’s because players demand so much from themselves. People don’t see that.”
In the 49th minute, Messi struck a penalty that slammed off Petr Cech’s crossbar, leaving the aggregate score tied at 2-2 but giving Chelsea the edge on away goals.
As Chelsea was on the brink of advancing, Fernando Torres solidified their victory in stoppage time, leaving Barcelona fans in shock.
Reflecting on the miss in July 2012, Messi admitted it was something that continued to “hurt” him.
“I am still hurting from losing the semi-final against Chelsea with the penalty I missed, and La Liga with the defeat to Madrid at Nou Camp,” he said [quotes via BBC Sport].
“They are both thorns in our side. But last season is now history.”
It’s clear that the 37-year-old eventually moved past the disappointment, redeeming the setback of 2012 by leading Barcelona to victory over Juventus in the 2015 Champions League final in Berlin. This win marked his fourth and final European title with the club.
