Lionel Messi shares his journey to World Cup victory and the unwavering support of his fans in Argentina

It has been nearly a year since Lionel Messi led Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Qatar. In a recent interview for the “Champions, a Year Later” special on Disney Star+, Messi reflected on the challenging journey to the championship and expressed his joy at overcoming criticism and earning the love of his country.

One of Messi’s greatest triumphs from winning the World Cup and Copa América with Argentina is the satisfaction of feeling loved by “95 or 100% of Argentines.” In the interview, Messi shared, “I had a tough time. My family and the people who love me did too. They [critics in Argentina] were very unfair to a generation of players and they said a lot of bad things about me. I’m not spiteful. I feel it like a triumph for me to have changed that situation and won over all the people of Argentina. Today 95% or 100% of Argentines love me and that’s a beautiful feeling.”

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Messi’s journey with the Argentina national team began in 2005, but his first major tournament victory came in 2021 with the Copa América. In the following 18 months, he led the Albiceleste to victory at the Finalissima in Wembley and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Along the way, there were heartbreaking losses, including in the 2011 and 2016 Copa América tournaments and a shocking round of 16 loss to France at the 2018 World Cup.

Reflecting on his career, Messi expressed his gratitude for the love he received in Barcelona and shared that winning the World Cup had always been his biggest dream. “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,” Messi said.

“If you put in the effort, sacrifice, work, and humility, in the end, you achieve your goals,” he added. “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 today.”