Lionel Messi Delivers Foul-Mouthed Response to Argentina Critics

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has taken a foul-mouthed shot at those who criticise his performances for Argentina's national team and his decision not to sing along with the national anthem.

Speaking to TyC Sports (h/t Goal's Daniel Edwards), the four-time Ballon d'Or winner didn't hold back one bit:

"

I get annoyed when they tell us put in more effort, you don't feel the shirt. We were lucky enough to get to the final of the World Cup and the Copa America and it seems like we didn't do anything.  We got to two finals, for f--k's sake

We didn't win, what can you do, but we got to the final, we didn't lose in the last-16. 

Football is not just about effort. We had bad times in the national team for what we experienced. We lost the final of the World Cup against Germany who have great players and we had great chances to win it. With Chile it was the same and we lost on penalties. ...

... I get annoyed by the people who attack you without thinking. I won't sing the national anthem on purpose. I don't need to sing it to feel it. 

It reaches me, every person feels it in their own way. The Pumas cry, they feel it differently and that's ok. 

"

The 28-year-old already ranks among the most accomplished club players of all time, but the same success has eluded him on the international level, where he hasn't won a major competition with Argentina since the 2008 Summer Olympics.

He came agonisingly close in consecutive summers, losing the final of the 2014 World Cup to Germany and the 2015 Copa America to hosts Chile. In both matches, he failed to impress, although one can argue the Albiceleste would have never reached the final in 2014 without him.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

But with no real international silverware to speak of, Messi's legacy feels incomplete. He has been compared to national hero Diego Maradona for most of his playing career, and the latter's legacy is built around the 1986 World Cup, perhaps the best performance from a single player at a single tournament in football history.

Messi has desperately tried to add an international trophy to his resume in the past few years, but he's been unlucky enough to run into some fantastic teams. Germany simply couldn't be stopped in 2014, evidenced by their emphatic 7-1 demolition of Brazil, and Chile were the form team during the 2015 Copa America and fully deserved the win.

The Barcelona star is just 28 years old and should still be at his very best during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which could be his final chance to win the elusive trophy. Even if he doesn't, he will go down as one of the all-time greats, as even at the age of 28, one could easily make the argument he's already the greatest club footballer of all time.

Messi's lack of success on the international level certainly isn't down to a lack of trying, nor has it been his fault. If Gonzalo Higuain had just finished this easy chance a top striker should never miss, we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation.

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