When discussing his football skill, Lionel Messi claimed he was “chosen by God” and added that he has made an effort to maximise it.
Messi, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday, is representing Argentina in the Copa América in the US.
“It’s very clear to me that I was born like this because God chose me,” Messi said in a podcast with Argentinian Juan Pablo Varsky.
“It was a gift he gave me. I tried to take advantage of it, I did everything possible to squeeze the most out of it. The truth is, although I did many things, I did nothing to become the player that I already was when I was little.”
Messi, who joined Barcelona‘s youth team at the age of 13 after starting his playing career at local side Newell’s Old Boys, acknowledges that he was unaware of how exceptional he was.
“From what was being said, I was always different,” the 2022 World Cup winner said. “People came to watch me. I didn’t realise it, but I began to understand that as I grew older. I don’t really know the moment when I realised it.
“When I was 3 or 4 years old, I was not aware of the World Cup and all the titles that were being played. I simply played because I loved the ball … it was my hobby. I spent all the time kicking and looking for someone to play with. I was born with it. I loved soccer, like most Argentines, from a very young age. I always tried to have fun, like I did from day one.”
Messi, the most decorated football player of all time, helped Inter Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup in August, earning him his 44th title.
He holds the record with eight Ballon d’Or victories.
Messi claimed that despite all of his accomplishments and titles, he has also learned a lot from failures.
After losing three straight Copa América finals with Argentina, the former Paris Saint-Germain player won the trophy in 2021 after defeating fierce rivals Brazil in the Maracanã Stadium title match.
Messi never suffered a more agonising defeat than the 4-1 loss to Chile in the 2016 Copa América on penalties.
Messi resigned from international duty for a limited period of time due to pressure.
“Without a doubt it was because it was already the third final defeat in a row,” Messi said.
“We had had a very good Copa América in terms of play, reaching the final being far superior to the rest.
“In the final against Chile, although we did not have many clear chances, we were also superior in terms of play and we lost again on penalties.”
In their Group A match on Tuesday, Messi and Argentina will play Chile, but manager Lionel Scaloni stated that his team has no intention of exacting retribution for their loss.
Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 to start their title defence.
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