Speaking to the 'Champions, a Year Later' special on Star+, Lionel Messi shared a revelation on why becoming a world champion was so important for him. Of course, it's not just about status.
"[Before winning World Cup] I had a bad time. My family and the people who love me did too. [Critics in Argentina] were very unfair to our generation of players and they said a lot of bad things about me.
"It feels like a triumph for me now to win all the people of Argentina over. Today 95% or 100% of Argentines love me and that's a beautiful feeling.
"It is the thing most everyone desires. Everyone dreams big and the biggest is to be world champion with your national team. I was lucky to achieve everything at the club level with Barcelona and also at the individual level. This was the only thing that eluded me. There are very few players who can say that they have achieved everything and thanks to God I am one of them.
"The road can be hard, but you have to keep fighting for your dreams to try to achieve them. I always loved playing football, coming to the national team and being on the field, but I never enjoyed it like I do now," he concluded.
Indeed, the road to World Cup glory wasn't a walk in the park for Messi, who faced the heartbreak of losing a World Cup final in 2014 and three Copa America finals before eventually clinching gold medals in both competitions. He could have given up, but that's just not who Leo is.
