Barcelona's Lionel Messi: "I was asked if I wanted to play for Spain"
In a new book titled 'Messi, The Patriot', Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has revealed that he was asked to play for the Spanish National team, but insists that Argentina was the only team he was interested in representing.
Messi has quite often been subject to harsh criticism with supporters accusing him of not being committed to the national side.
“Of course I heard all of the comments - that I was not enthusiastic about playing for Argentina, that I did not sing the national anthem or that I was not committed to the shirt,” his comments on the book were quoted by Spanish website Marca. “It was painful to come to my country and for lots of people to hit out at me unfairly.”
“When I was a kid I expected to get a call from the AFA [Argentinean Football Association],” he continued. “I was asked informally if I wanted to play for Spain, but I always said that I wanted to play for my national team because I love Argentina and these are the only colours I want to wear. I would change all of the records to make our mark in history; to make the people of my country happy, Argentina is my country, my family, my way of expressing myself".
He goes on to add, "People ask me why I have not picked up the Spanish accent and it is simple: I do not want to pick it up, or to lose any identification with my country. I was always an avid fan of the national team. I watched the games on television because I could never go to the grounds and watch them as a fan.”
“The worst memory I have of a World Cup was in 2002, when we were knocked out of the tournament in South Korea and Japan. It was painful to watch it from a distance,” he concluded.