Lionel Messi once again recalled the most important moments he experienced during the Qatar 2022 World Cup, a tournament in which the Argentina National Team reached ultimate glory, and he paid special attention to the match against Mexico, one of the most talked-about and tense of the tournament.
"I don't know what happened with the Mexicans, I don't know when that rivalry started, I've always felt very loved by the people of Mexico. I never disrespected anyone," Messi expressed in an interview he gave to Simplemente Fútbol.
He then gave his point of view on the origin of this tension that arose on and off the field: "I think they put themselves in a position of understanding a rivalry with us that doesn't really exist between Argentina and Mexico, there's no comparison."
En su entrevista con Quique Wolff, Messi habló de inexistente rivalidad con México
Messi and the goal he enjoyed the most
Among the many goals he scored in the World Cup, there was one that was especially memorable for him and for Argentine fans. According to him, his goal against Mexico in the second match of the group stage was the most enjoyed, for what it meant at that moment in the tournament to turn the team's situation around.
"The goal I enjoyed the most in Qatar was the one against Mexico. Not because of the people or anything like that. It was a huge relief and gave us the peace of mind to return to being what we were and depend on ourselves," said the captain of the Albiceleste.
El gol contra México fue la remontada anímica de la Selección en Qatar
He also highlighted the great presence of the Mexican public in the stadium during that match: "The shout was more for the importance of the goal than against the people. The match was tough on the field because Mexico brings people to every World Cup and competition. I'm not saying there were more Mexican fans than Argentine, but it was even."
The response from the Mexicans
Lionel Messi's statements, in which he expressed that "there's no comparison" between the national teams of Argentina and Mexico, caused strong discontent in various media outlets in the Aztec country. Several sports portals reacted with critical headlines and questioned whether the Argentine star had belittled the Mexican team.
One of the most notable cases was the sports newspaper Récord, which titled one of its articles with the question: "Does Lionel Messi belittle El Tri?", and started the text with a strong introduction: "As hated as he is adored. Lionel Messi is one of the players who in Mexico has almost as many detractors as defenders, although the player himself doesn't understand why the hatred from the former."
El titular de Récord
Meanwhile, the site Excélsior didn't lag behind and published an article under the title: "Messi hits Mexico's pride", while Mediotiempo summarized its reaction with a forceful headline: "Messi downplays the rivalry with El Tricolor."
The history that supports the number 10's statements
Argentina has historically been superior to Mexico in all aspects, from the game and players to head-to-head results. Both teams have played a total of 32 matches, including World Cups, Copa América, Confederations Cup, and friendlies. Of those encounters, the Albiceleste won 16, while the Aztecs only 4, the rest (12) ended in draws.
Argentina tiene un liderato incuestionable en el historial
Speaking only of World Cups, the National Team won all 4 times they met, with the last one perhaps being the most important. That 2-0 in the second match of the 2022 World Cup was the true start of Argentina's presentation in Qatar after the stumble with Saudi Arabia in the debut, and it marked the beginning of the path to the title. Meanwhile, the other three matches were in the group stage of Uruguay 1930 (6-3) and in the Round of 16 of Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010 (2-1 in extra time and 3-1, respectively).
