Messi on kissing the World Cup trophy and his regrets at his behaviour against Dutch
Argentina captain Lionel Messi said he has "achieved everything" in his career, during an interview to Urbana Play 104.3 FM Radio, his first since winning the 2022 Qatar World Cup on Friday, 27th January
The interview was recorded last Friday, 27th January, but went on-air this Monday.
(Messi On what it meant to him to have won the World Cup)
"I achieved everything with the national team, as I always dreamed of. I achieved everything in my career, at Barcelona, on a personal level too. (Winning the World Cup) was closing my career in a unique way. When I started with all this, I never imagined that it would be this way, that all this would happen to me and I think that reaching that moment was the best."
The 35-year-old footballer who finally became world champion in his fifth participation, also referred to the iconic moment when he kissed the trophy.
(Messi On the moment he kissed the World Cup trophy during the ceremony)
"(I felt the World Cup trophy was saying) 'It's over, it's over, come and grab me, now you can touch me.' Did you see that they say you cannot touch it, or look at it, anything? That's it, I was finally able to do all that. And apart from that, I saw that the trophy was shining, that it was sparkling in that beautiful stadium and I didn't think about it, I didn't think about it. And I went to kiss it, because I passed by."
He also said he is sorry for the crosses he had with coach Louis Van Gaal and the Dutch players during the World Cup match.
La Albiceleste beat the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw at 2022 World Cup Quarterfinals.
(On Messi dedicating a goal to Louis Van Gaal during match and when he said"What are you looking at, silly? Go over there" to Wout Werghorst)
Messi: "Obviously I don't like what I did, I don't like what happened next,"
Journalist: "The "Andá pa' allá" (Go over there)
Messi: "The "Andá pa' allá" and all that. But hey, these are moments of great tension, a lot of nervousness and everything happens very quickly. You don't have time to think about anything and you react the way you can. But in reality, nothing was planned, it happened like that. I don't like to leave that image, but these are things that happen too."
The game was marked by several controversies.
Van Gaal provoked his South American rivals by stating that if there was a penalty shootout his players were better prepared.
He also recalled that "Messi did not touch the ball" in the 2014 World Cup semifinal, which Argentina won via penalties.
