Lionel Messi opens up on past issues with Robert Lewandowski: “His statement bothered me”

Lionel Messi’s name is almost synonymous with the Ballon d’Or. Having won the Golden Ball a record eight times, his enduring dominance in football cannot be questioned by anyone.

The Argentine’s legendary tenure at Barcelona is symbolized by his Ballon d’Or victories, as seven of them were a result of his successes with the Catalan giants.

However, Messi’s speech after he won his seventh Ballon d’Or appeared to generate some animosity between him and Barcelona ace Robert Lewandowski, who came in second place and was one of the major frontrunners.

The former Barcelona captain requested that France Football award Lewandowski the 2020 award, which had been cancelled due to Covid.

However, the Polish striker questioned the legitimacy of Messi’s intentions, saying (h/t MARCA): “‘I would like it [Messi’s 2020 Ballon d’Or statement] to be a sincere and courteous statement from a great player and not just empty words.”

This reaction did not set well with Messi, as the heightened tensions between both players were observed most notably in last year’s World Cup clash between Argentina and Poland.

Things appeared to be a bit heated between the two and there appeared to be some tension, although the two were spotted in discussion after the game.

Commenting on why he behaved the way he did, Messi has now cleared the air, stating that he was annoyed by the Barcelona striker’s words.

“Lewandowski’s statement bothered me because when I won the Ballon d’Or I said the thing I was feeling, but his talking like that bothered me. After that, we met, talked, and agreed that it was a misunderstanding,” he said in an interaction with ESPN Argentina.

“I ignored him because I was angry and thought he shouldn’t have said what he said. I was angry and after that, in Barcelona, we talked about many things related to the club, the city and everything.” he remarked.

The matter has now been resolved, with the pair talking things out. The possibility of Messi joining last summer was on the cards, with Lewandowski and Messi’s interaction at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony seen as a patch-up of their relationship.

However, despite the reconciliation, Messi ended up moving to Inter Miami, and their partnership on the pitch could not materialize.