I Was Approached To Play For Spain Says Lionel Messi

Argentina's Leo Messi writes in the first person in 'Messi, The Patriot' about his career with the Argentinian national team and the harsh criticism which he has received back in his home country, where people accuse him of not being committed to the sky blue shirt.

The Barcelona player states, "I would change all of the records to make our mark in history; to make the people of my country happy," because "Argentina is my country, my family, my way of expressing myself". He goes on to say, "People ask me why I have not picked up the Spanish accent and it is simple: I do not want to pick it up, or to lose any identification with my country."

The Argentinian star looked back on his childhood: "I was always an avid fan of the national team. I watched the games on television because I could never go to the grounds and watch them as a fan. The worst memory I have of a World Cup was in 2002, when we were knocked out of the tournament in South Korea and Japan. It was painful to watch it from a distance."


Leo has not escaped criticism in the past, but he decided to respond on the pitch: "Of course I heard all of the comments: that I was not enthusiastic about playing for Argentina, that I did not sing the national anthem or that I was not committed to the shirt. It was painful to come to my country and for lots of people to hit out at me unfairly."

Messi felt hurt because "when I was a kid I expected to get a call from the AFA [Argentinian Football Association]. I was asked informally if I wanted to play for Spain, but I always said that I wanted to play for my national team because I love Argentina and these are the only colours I want to wear."