Barcelona star Lionel Messi admitted to having shed tears over Argentina’s past international failures, but is gearing up for one last shot at World Cup glory.
The Albiceleste have suffered plenty of heartbreak in recent years, losing three successive major international finals in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 and 2016 editions of the Copa America.
“I cried many times because of games like these, for lost finals, for what they mean and for not being able to achieve the dream of a country,” Messi told La Cornisa.
“They (the three finals) were tough blows,” he continued. “It seems like having reached three finals doesn’t help us at all.”
Messi, who will turn 31 in June, feels that this World Cup will be the last chance for himself and other Albiceleste veterans to become champions.
“We depend on the results, unfortunately. We feel that if we are not champions…we will not have another,” he admitted.
Messi assured Argentina fans that the dream of winning a World Cup final remains in his heart despite the pain of having endured a 1-0 loss to Germany in 2014.
“I imagine being able to be in that game, to win it, to be able to raise the cup,” Messi said. “It’s the dream I have always had, and every time a World Cup comes, it gets even stronger.
“I want to tell people that I hope it’s a great World Cup for us, that my wish is the same as all of you and that we can live something similar to 2014, which was an unforgettable experience, and that the result is similar, but this time raising the cup is everyone’s dream.”
Argentina are in Group C along with Croatia, Nigeria and Iceland. They will kick off their World Cup campaign on 16 June against Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side.
