Lionel Messi and his resignation from Argentina due to the trauma with Chile

Lionel Messi has had a more than successful career that has led him to be considered, for many, the best player in history. Argentina’s 10, of course, did not always have a good time and Chile had a lot to do with it.

La Roja spoiled the party and won two finals that were considered won in the neighboring country. But it was the second one that ended up destroying him, to the point of giving up his selection.

It was that June 26, 2016 when, in the definition of the Copa América Centenario, our country once again won a title in its face. The pressure overcame him and as he left the stadium he announced his goodbye to the Albiceleste, which began his redemption until he was crowned world champion in Qatar 2022.

Lionel Messi cannot get Chile out of its nightmares

Although Argentina is trying to disguise it with the Qatar 2022 title, Lionel Messi has made it clear that he still has nightmares about Chile. The 10 does not forget the lost finals with La Roja and he again addressed that fateful night in 2016 when the pain was so great that he resigned.

In conversation with ESPN, the trans-Andean star referred to his surprising goodbye to the Albiceleste after losing with our country in the Copa América Centenario. “I don’t know if I ever told my old man before going out and saying it there. I don’t remember well, but I felt it. I felt that at that moment it had to be that way.”

In fact, Lionel Messi emphasized that the defeats with La Roja destroyed him and the Argentine team. “We had been suffering a lot after the Copa América in Chile because of the things that were said, especially things outside of football that were already going anywhere.”

Along the same lines, he stressed that at that time the pressure was too much from the fans and the Argentine press. “Many lies, in the middle were the families and the people who love one and who suffer a lot. It came out, I felt it that way, it was like I couldn’t take everything I was experiencing anymore and it came out.”

Luckily for him, months later he would take a step back from his decision and returned to have his long-awaited revenge. The story ended with winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but everything indicates that when hearing about the 2015 and 2016 finals, painful memories come to mind.

Lionel Messi is a star and there is no doubt about that. That is why what Chile did is so relevant, since he was able to beat what many consider the best of all time. At least in those games, he didn’t show it.

When does Chile play Argentina in the Copa América?

Chile and Argentina will once again measure forces in the Copa América 2024, again in the United States. The clash, valid for the second date of the group stage, is scheduled for Tuesday, June 25 from 9:00 p.m.

When does Chile play Argentina in the South American Qualifiers?

The Copa América will not be the only challenge between Chile and Argentina. On September 5, with a time to be defined, La Roja and Albiceleste will face each other in the South American Qualifiers in the neighboring country.

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