Lionel Messi’s Feud With ‘Lively’ Juan Riquelme at the Olympics Exposed by Argentina’s Ex-World Champion

When one talks about Lionel Messi, it will mostly be about his goals and trophies. It rarely occurs that La Pulga has made the news for the wrong reasons. However, this would not be the case during his early days. An ex-manager of the Argentina NT recently revealed how he handled a feud between the soccer veteran and Juan Riquelme. Sergio Batista has claimed that the duo ‘didn’t get along‘ after a certain point, even though they do today. There are incidents, where one thought two of them wouldn’t stand being in the same room as each other.

However, years later they remain the best of friends! Lionel Messi and Juan Riquelme used to have arguments during the Olympics in 2008. Coach Sergio Batista, speaking about the early days, said, “Roman is a very badass, the lively son of a b**ch. Roman and Lionel at one point didn’t get along, but now they do. But watching those guys play, the truth is, how can it be? I told them the way to play that I wanted and that I liked, and then they played“, as per Ole. In the end, the technique used by Sergio Batista, who initially won the World Cup in 1986, worked and they won the gold medal. The feud also turned into a beautiful friendship.

In an interview, Riquelme even once said that it was a dream that came true that he played with both Maradona and Messi. Lionel Messi played at the La Bombonera stadium in his final match too, on 25th June 2023.

Interestingly, Lionel Messi also considers Juan Riquelme his idol. As far as the Olympics are concerned, the fans could witness the World Cup champion one final time.

Lionel Messi strives to win the gold medal again!

According to reports, Lionel Messi has informed his wishes to Javier Mascherano who will be coaching the Olympic squad. La Pulga and 35-year-old Angel Di Maria would love to represent Argentina at the 2024 Paris Olympics should La Albiceleste qualify. While the intentions have reportedly already been made public, will Inter Miami be open to letting him go in the middle of the season?

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Not to forget that the David Beckham-led club will be looking to turn his major investments in the Herons into trophies, while the Argentine is still at the helm. Surprisingly, Lionel Messi is not the only big name to show his ambitions to shine in the Olympics. His ex-teammate Kylian Mbappe would also love the opportunity to win the gold medal in Paris itself! Strangely, could it be a repeat of the World Cup final?

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