Lionel Messi with his achievements and mesmerizing skills, has often seemed untouchable, a man nobody can surpass. But beneath the glittering accolades lies a story of pain, frustration, and quiet suffering with Argentina’s national team. In an interview, former teammate Javier Pastore revealed this struggle, highlighting Messi’s emotional scars and his determination to succeed.

For years, Messi’s brilliance at FC Barcelona contrasted sharply with his fortunes in an Argentina jersey. While he gathered club titles and individual awards at a breathtaking pace that few could rival, international glory remained tantalizingly out of reach It weighed heavily on Messi, as Pastore said in the interview, “Very much so. We spent days in the locker room—not only him, none of us was happy in the national team.”

Messi‘s journey with Argentina was never just about the game; it was deeply personal. Every setback, every near-miss, was a reminder of unfulfilled expectations from a nation that revered him as a savior. Pastore recalled being by Messi’s side when the unthinkable happened, Messi announcing he was done with international football. “He really said it because he felt it, he felt like a burden for the national team believing that because of him it was not winning. He said it to us internally,” Pastore revealed. The weight of failing to deliver a trophy was crushing, and Messi blamed himself for Argentina’s inability to cross the finish line in major tournaments.

It wasn’t just the disappointment of losing. It was a psychological toll that left Messi in silence for weeks. Pastore spoke of how deeply losses affected him- “He would lose and he would spend weeks without talking to anyone.” He was fighting not only his expectations but also those of millions of Argentinians.

Lionel Messi’s journey from struggles to triumph with Argentina

Messi’s bond with Argentina was complex. He was often compared to Diego Maradona which added more pressure on him. Despite being one of the world’s top players, he struggled for international success. Fans expected him to match Maradona’s 1986 heroics. Every near-miss, such as the 2014 World Cup final loss to Germany, and defeats in the 2012 and 2016 Copa America finals, intensified the scrutiny and added to his mental burden. He even gave up, retiring for a short while following the 2016 penalty miss vs Chile in the Copa final. 

After years of trials and disappointments, Messi’s perseverance bore fruit. In 2021, he led Argentina to victory in the Copa América, ending a 28-year trophy drought for the nation. And then finally won the World Cup in 2022. This wasn’t the end of his journey, but a key moment. It silenced the haters and restored his joy in international football.

The quiet suffering that Pastore described testified to an aspect of football that transcended goals and victories. This is a reminder that behind the great feats, the greatest players face self-doubt, and there’s a human with struggles, painful falls, and rises, behind the records and accolades.