In an transparent attempt to endear himself to Argentina fans who have never really treated him as with the hero worship he gets in Barcelona and around the world, Lionel Messi has spoken about his desire to return to Argentina towards the end of his career.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner moved to Spain from his hometown Rosario at the age of 13 after catching the eye of scouts from Barcelona.
“Barcelona gave me everything, but I would go back to Argentina. I grew up here [Barcelona] and I enjoy my life here but one day I’ll return [to Argentina],” said the 28-year-old in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
Messi concluded another successful season with Barcelona last weekend – winning the Copa Del Rey in a 2-0 victory over Sevilla after claiming his eighth La Liga title on the final day of the league season.
In his latest interview, the striker revealed the difficulties he faced to leave his hometown at such an early age before becoming the football phenomenon that he is today.
“It was a difficult time. On the one hand, it was nice because I was going to play for Barcelona, but on the other hand it was very difficult to leave my house and start life from scratch,” Messi insisted.
Messi is all set to captain his national team in next month’s Copa America with the objective of winning his first major International trophy.
Argentina lost 4-1 on penalties to Chile in the grand final of last year’s Copa America but the lethal striker is hoping for a different outcome this time around.
“We will try to seize the opportunity. It would be very significant if Argentina win the cup, we deserve to be champions of a major tournament.” concluded Messi.
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