"I did not write to Messi" - Carlos Tevez gives honest answer when asked about Lionel Messi and Argentina winning the World Cup
Personalities from around the world would have congratulated Lionel Messi on his historic 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph with Argentina, but his former teammate Carlos Tevez is not one of them. At least not as of right now.
El Apache, who represented Argentina at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup, has revealed that he is yet to congratulate the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) playmaker on his triumph.
He added that it gives him joy to see his two daughters, Florencia and Katia, celebrate Lionel Messi's goals. The former Manchester United striker told Super Miter Deportivo (h/t Ole):
"I did not write to Messi because he must have exploited the phone. It gives me great joy that my children shout his goals."
"How are you going to convince me that magic doesn't exist?" - Lionel Messi π https://t.co/aRXkUQ4WSq
Tevez is widely regarded as a legend among Boca Juniors fans - for whom he scored 82 goals and provided 31 assists in 235 games across three different spells. He also helped them win five league titles, an Intercontinental Cup, and the Copa Sudamericana.
However, earlier in the same interview, he claimed that he does miss his time with Boca because he is exhausted from football. He said:
"I don't miss the Boca world, nor football because it exhausted me."
This could also be the reason behind his unenthused attitude toward his team's World Cup triumphs. Tevez admittedly followed France during the showpiece event in Qatar because it was a team he said he liked.
Les Bleus fell at the final hurdle on 18 December when they were beaten by Lionel Messi's Argentina in penalty shootouts. The former Barcelona forward won the Golden Ball after scoring seven goals and providing three assists in Qatar.
Two of these strikes came in the final, where the game went the distance after finishing 3-3 in regulation time.
Lionel Messi wins another award after the 2022 FIFA World Cup win with Argentina
Lionel Messi has been awarded the 'Best Playmaker of the Year' award by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), as per MARCA.
Lionel Messi has won a record 5th IFFHS Best Playmaker award.
π¦π·Lionel Messi has won a record 5th IFFHS Best Playmaker award.
π He has now won 3 major IFFHS awards for 2022;
π IFFHS Best Player
π IFFHS Best International Goalscorer
π IFFHS Best Playmaker
#Messiπ΅ https://t.co/gKG4tRVCq0
Including this triumph, the Argentina icon has won this award a record five times - one more than current Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez did in his playing days.
Messi provided three assists at the World Cup. For PSG, he has scored 12 times and provided 14 assists in 19 games across competitions this campaign. He is yet to return to the pitch after his team's win against France..
Manager Christophe Galtier will hope to be able to use the 35-year-old in his team's Ligue 1 clash against Angers on 11 January.