Pep Guardiola on why Lionel Messi broke down in tears after the final whistle against Spain in the FIFA World Cup final.
đŁïž âThe whole world thought Leo was crying because Argentina had lost the World Cup. They were wrong. I know him better than most people. Those tears came from somewhere much deeper. They were the tears of a little boy who realized the dream he had lived for more than twenty years might have ended forever.â
âThe moment I saw him standing there, I couldnât watch anymore. I picked up my phone and called him. He answered, but he couldnât speak. All I could hear was his breathing. We stayed in silence for what felt like forever because sometimes pain is too big for words.â
âWhen he finally spoke, he said, âMĂster⊠itâs not the defeat thatâs breaking me. I can accept losing. What I canât accept is that this may have been the last time I ever wore the Argentina shirt. I wasnât ready to say goodbye.â I completely broke down when I heard those words.â
âI told him, âLeo, listen to me. Millions of people arenât crying because Argentina lost. Theyâre crying because they know they may never see you wear that shirt again. They grew up with you. They celebrated with you. They suffered with you. Tonight, theyâre mourning the end of an era.ââ
âHe spent more than two decades carrying that badge with unbelievable pride. He gave Argentina his childhood, his youth, his best football and even the final years of his career. There was nothing left for him to give. He left every piece of his heart on that pitch.â
âI said to him, âDonât ever apologize. Donât ever think you failed your country. The only reason this hurts so much is because you loved Argentina more than anyone could ever ask. Thatâs not failure thatâs the purest form of love.ââ
âIâve coached the greatest footballer Iâve ever seen, but that night I wasnât speaking to a footballer. I was speaking to a man whose heart had been shattered because he believed his final chapter with Argentina had been written. That pain is something no trophy, no speech and no applause can ever heal.â
âOne day, people will remember who won that World Cup. But those of us who love football will also remember another image forever Lionel Messi standing in tears, not because he stopped loving football, but because football was asking him to say goodbye to the country he loved more than anything in the world.