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Messi admits to ´poor´ national team performances

SoccerNews in World Cup 18 Mar 2013

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Lionel Messi admits he has not always performed to the best of his ability for Argentina.

But he refuses to take full responsibility for the underachievement of the national side at the last two World Cups.

The Barcelona star has been in outstanding form for his club so far this season, but has not always replicated his domestic feats on the international stage, and he admits there is still room for improvement in his performances for his country.

“I knew I didn’t play well for Argentina but I wasn’t the only one,” the 25-year-old told The Sun.

However, Messi rejected taking all the blame for Argentina failing to fulfil their potential at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, but revealed his sorrow in the aftermath of exiting both tournaments.

He added: “The whole team was not performing. People and the media wanted me to go out and win games on my own but this has never happened.

“I cried many times. In the 2006 World Cup Argentina had played so well and lost to Germany on penalties. In 2010 obviously the same thing happened. Yes I cried, but the whole team cried.

“I’m my No.1 critic. Whether I play well or badly I am hot-headed. I get angry because I never want to lose.

“I knew I was not giving my best but I was the first to want to play well.”

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  • cloud

    0 0

    @jean, i already gave Zidane as an example that one man can do it by himself in a world cup. Ronaldo, Pele and Zidane has done that. They gave their team the INSPIRATION and made the “lesser” players to give much more to the team, why can’t messi do that ??

  • Brad

    0 0

    Which has indeed been noted before, just on another article. Sorry for that.

    Now, if his teammates at Barca were all Argentinians, then it’d be another story.

  • Georges Jean

    0 0

    Messi had conceded to the point concerning why he failed winning a World Cup for Argentina. So far, I comprehend this, but for many the question of fanaticism will yet persist, which will drift this argument in repetitive cycles. I’d only say that Messi can’t win a WC by himself: the whole team needs chemistry to do that. Pele, in 1958-62-70, had such a team.

  • cloud

    0 0

    that is the biggest question messi has to ask himself, why the heck is he failing time and time again with his national squad. he can’t make an excuse of HE IS ALONE, he’s not, he has the likes of Tevez, Gonzalo, Samuel, Heinz, Javier, Di Maria as support.

    but in recent memory, the person who single handedly carried his National Squad on his shoulders and was good at it was and always is ZIDANE. He orchestrated everything during their 98 win, failed to do so due to injury on 2002, came out of international retirement on 2006 and lead his team to the finals, and we shouldn’t forget that the french 2006 side is one of the oldest in terms of age, but still Zidane helped them to the finals and only that headbutt ruined it all.

    back to messi, he’s just a player who scores a damn lot of goals and his FREEDOM on the pitch is due to his team mates, coz coaches would prefer to guard against Xavi and Iniesta coz they are the one’s doing all the passing and damage.

  • Brad

    0 0

    Okay, Messi fans, if you hadn’t by some miracle lost in your battle against Pele already, you’ve certainly lost now: Messi has admitted it. Admit it yourselves.

    This shows Messi to be a humble man, though. CR7 and Luis Suarez could sure learn from that. . . Balotelli too.

    The question Georges Jean, isn’t why compare Pele’s record to Messi.

    Quite the opposite.

    It’s why compare Messi and his records to Pele and his records.

    For everything you use is automatically redundant, for Messi has failed to do his best (and therefore truly prove himself) at the biggest stage in the entire world of sport. Meanwhile, many of Pele’s biggest moments came at the WC.

    You’re right, at the end part. It doesn’t take genius commentary. The thing is, there is way too much idiot commentary (not calling you out, calling the other Messi fans out) to prove Messi as superior, which he’s not.

  • cloud

    0 0

    @jean, funny how you highlight the word PAST, records are always in the PAST, even Messi’s record of last year is in the PAST.

    but i’m giving merit to messi for admitting that he failed terribly with his national side.

  • pure24

    0 0

    Hear hear

  • Georges Jean

    0 0

    Many who comment fail to understand the intrinsic value of both Club level vs. International stage level. Fanaticism can deceive those to whom both spoken and written arguments are not objectively aimed. Here is Messi saying the truth: ‘2006-2010 were on my shoulders’ and he wished that he could have done more for Argentina but didn’t! So, why try to compare Pele’s record […won and played in 3 World Cups for BRAZIL: 1958-60-70] to Messi. I am referring to Pele’s PAST record. It does not take a genius-commentary brief writing for anyone to see the point.

  • Georges Jean

    0 0

    Many who comment fail to understand the intrinsic value of both Club level vs. International stage level. Fanaticism can deceive those to whom both spoken and written arguments are not objectively aimed. Here is Messi saying the truth: ‘2006-2010 were on my shoulders’ and he wished that he could have done more for Argentina but didn’t! So, why try to compare Pele’s record […won and played in 3 World Cups for BRAZIL: 1958-60-70] to Messi. I am referring to Pele’s PAST record. It does not take a genius-commentary brief writing for anyone to see the point.

  • pure24

    0 0

    Hear hear

  • cloud

    0 0

    @jean, funny how you highlight the word PAST, records are always in the PAST, even Messi’s record of last year is in the PAST.

    but i’m giving merit to messi for admitting that he failed terribly with his national side.

  • Brad

    0 0

    Okay, Messi fans, if you hadn’t by some miracle lost in your battle against Pele already, you’ve certainly lost now: Messi has admitted it. Admit it yourselves.

    This shows Messi to be a humble man, though. CR7 and Luis Suarez could sure learn from that. . . Balotelli too.

    The question Georges Jean, isn’t why compare Pele’s record to Messi.

    Quite the opposite.

    It’s why compare Messi and his records to Pele and his records.

    For everything you use is automatically redundant, for Messi has failed to do his best (and therefore truly prove himself) at the biggest stage in the entire world of sport. Meanwhile, many of Pele’s biggest moments came at the WC.

    You’re right, at the end part. It doesn’t take genius commentary. The thing is, there is way too much idiot commentary (not calling you out, calling the other Messi fans out) to prove Messi as superior, which he’s not.

  • cloud

    0 0

    that is the biggest question messi has to ask himself, why the heck is he failing time and time again with his national squad. he can’t make an excuse of HE IS ALONE, he’s not, he has the likes of Tevez, Gonzalo, Samuel, Heinz, Javier, Di Maria as support.

    but in recent memory, the person who single handedly carried his National Squad on his shoulders and was good at it was and always is ZIDANE. He orchestrated everything during their 98 win, failed to do so due to injury on 2002, came out of international retirement on 2006 and lead his team to the finals, and we shouldn’t forget that the french 2006 side is one of the oldest in terms of age, but still Zidane helped them to the finals and only that headbutt ruined it all.

    back to messi, he’s just a player who scores a damn lot of goals and his FREEDOM on the pitch is due to his team mates, coz coaches would prefer to guard against Xavi and Iniesta coz they are the one’s doing all the passing and damage.

  • Georges Jean

    0 0

    Messi had conceded to the point concerning why he failed winning a World Cup for Argentina. So far, I comprehend this, but for many the question of fanaticism will yet persist, which will drift this argument in repetitive cycles. I’d only say that Messi can’t win a WC by himself: the whole team needs chemistry to do that. Pele, in 1958-62-70, had such a team.

  • Brad

    0 0

    Which has indeed been noted before, just on another article. Sorry for that.

    Now, if his teammates at Barca were all Argentinians, then it’d be another story.

  • cloud

    0 0

    @jean, i already gave Zidane as an example that one man can do it by himself in a world cup. Ronaldo, Pele and Zidane has done that. They gave their team the INSPIRATION and made the “lesser” players to give much more to the team, why can’t messi do that ??

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