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WHAT HAPPENED? Lionel Messi (36) gave an insight into the duel with Robert Lewandowski (35) at the World Cup finals in Qatar and admitted that he had quite a grudge against the former FC Bayern striker at the time.

WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND? Messi and Lewandowski faced each other with their national teams Argentina and Poland (2-0) in the preliminary round of the tournament in Qatar. After a foul by today’s Barca star, Messi ignored him and did not accept his apology.

WHAT WAS SAID? Messi described in the documentary “Champions, a year later”. Star+that these were a reaction to Lewandowski’s statements from 2021, when he finished behind Messi in the Ballon d’Or vote: “Lewandowski’s statements annoyed me. Because when I won the Ballon d’Or, I felt “What I said about him, really. And the way he spoke really bothered me. I was upset, heated. I thought what he said wasn’t appropriate.”

Messi won the Ballon d’Or in 2021 and later said that Lewandowski also deserved the award: “It was a great honor to fight with you for this prize. Everyone knows that you were the winner last year. I think France Football should still give you the price for 2020. You deserve it and you should have it at home too.”

However, La Pulga subsequently refused to allow Lewandowski to vote in the FIFA World Player of the Year election. Lewy told the Polish magazine Gray Nose afterwards: “It’s difficult for me to say anything about this. I voted for Messi because I appreciate what he did in 2021 and of course before. Messi voted for me at the Ballon d’Or, and why his position changed after that has – I don’t know.”

He also later spoke of “unsatisfied desire when you’re so close and competing with a footballer as great and brilliant as Messi and hearing voices saying you should have won that.”

THE PICTURES FOR THE NEWS:

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THE REACTION: After the game in Qatar, however, there was already a gesture of reconciliation when both hugged each other. They also recently talked to each other at the Laureus Awards.