"We cried" - Ex-Manchester United defender reveals heartwarming reaction to Lionel Messi lifting 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina
Former Manchester United player Marcos Rojo has revealed that he and his wife shed happy tears when Lionel Messi’s Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Lionel Messi’s La Albiceleste came out on top following a nerve-wracking final against Kylian Mbappe’s France. The two teams were level at 3-3 at the end of extra time, with Argentina ultimately clinching the FIFA World Cup following a 4-2 shootout win.
Rojo, who played the entire game when the South Americans lost the 2014 FIFA World Cup final to Germany (1-0), was elated with Messi and Co. succeeding in 2022.
In an interview with Argentine outlet TyC Sports, the 33-year-old former Argentina international said:
“I remember we cried. It’s a mix, a strange feeling. Joy for many, for [Messi], [Angel Di Maria], [Nicolás Otamendi]. Thousands passed by and I was with them. We lost the finals that we lost and it hurt us.
“Seeing that they made it is crazy. I told my wife, to think that we were up to this, to nothing. We had no luck. We screwed up Germany with our football and the ball didn’t want to go in.”
Rojo accompanied Messi to three consecutive final defeats between 2014 and 2016. Argentina lost the 2014 FIFA World Cup final to Germany before suffering consecutive penalty shootout defeats to Chile in the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals.
Rojo played 45 games alongside Messi in total, combining for two goals.
La Liga president believes Lionel Messi’s return to Barcelona is “very complicated”
La Liga president Javier Tebas previously claimed that he would love to see Lionel Messi return to Barcelona, backing the Blaugrana to strike a deal with the Argentina icon.
He has since changed his tune a little, stating that the Catalan giants would find it difficult to pull off the transfer, as certain tricky conditions would have to be met.
Tebas said (via Barca Blaugranes):
“If you ask me the question today, Messi’s return to Barça is very complicated. We have to see how that will evolve but several conditions would have to be met, Barça players would have to leave, there would have to be a reduction in wages. And then you have to know what salary Messi would have at Barça.
“Barça is not like PSG, which has a gas and money tap which allows it to have a large payroll. As we speak, it’s complicated for Messi to return to Barça.”
Lionel Messi sees his PSG contract expire in June 2023, and he is yet to green-light a renewal. According to Fabrizio Romano, alongside Barcelona, Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal have also shown interest in signing the player.
The Riyadh-based club have reportedly tabled a seismic €400 million-per-year offer to sign the 35-year-old this summer.