The third world title of The Lionesses should be reason enough for all eyes to be on a historic achievement. However, just a few days after the victory, a statement from Victoria Granatto shifted the focus to a discussion that went beyond hockey and brought back an old question: how much weight does Lionel Messi carry compared to other figures in Argentine sports.
The scene took place during an interview on ESPN Hockey, where the champions recounted what happened during the tournament held in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the midst of the conversation, Magui Aicega highlighted the gesture made by the captain of the Argentine national football team, who publicly congratulated the team after winning the title with a message in a post on the official Olympic Games account: “Congratulations champions!!!”.
What could be read as a simple acknowledgment from one of the leading figures in Argentine sports, however, ended up generating a strong reaction from Granatto. "It bothers me. All good with the football team, but everyone wanted Messi to greet us. Girls, it's Messi, I mean, it’s no big deal," questioned the player, making it clear that she considered the importance some teammates placed on the greeting to be excessive.
The criticism didn’t stop there. Granatto tried to put into perspective the relevance of other names that are part of the history of The Lionesses and pointed out: "The important thing is that there’s Lucha (Luciana Aymar), there was Mechi (Mercedes Margalot), there was Ceci (Cecilia Rognoni), well you, Magui, I mean, our history is much bigger than theirs, I mean…,” Granatto stated.
The phrase, unfinished but sufficiently forceful, quickly went viral and opened a completely unnecessary controversy just days after a significant achievement for Argentine hockey.
