I saw what made Lionel Messi cry at the end of the World Cup final | UK | News
The last moment broke their hearts. Lionel Messi could not hold back his tears as he watched the Argentinian fans gathered behind the goal.
It was broken after Spain’s tough extra time defeat in the World Cup Final. And even though the little magician had the cameras pointed at him almost the entire time, there were some moments that could only be truly understood by watching him closely from inside the New York/New Jersey stadium.
Watching his every move from the north side of the stadium, I saw a completely different side of the star and discovered what the real reason he was crying might be.
Now most people would see how exhausted the 39-year-old man was while working full time. When the match ended, he took off his boots and sat on the field for a long time with his legs wide open.
When he finally lifted his body from the grass, he stood alone and looked into the distance. After puffing out his cheeks, he continued to stare. I couldn’t take my eyes off this big man because he looked incredibly lonely.
Messi has always been known as a quiet leader, but even from 200 meters away you could see how different he was from the rest of the team. There were close to a hundred thousand people in the stadium hall, but not a single person – not even his teammates – seemed to be able to approach him or talk to him.
When Sergio Ramos arrived with the trophy, Messi couldn’t stand watching. He pressed his hands to his knees and bowed his head; This was too much.
He was left completely alone as the players waited to collect their second medal. In fact, the only player I saw him talk to throughout the entire process was Rodrigo De Paul.
When a minor disturbance broke out in the Argentine players’ family area and the team walked over to investigate, Messi reluctantly moved to the back of the group. As they walked back, he stood silently in front. De Paul was the only player within two yards of him.
I could see at that moment how isolating life was for him. A living icon, most of his teammates seemed afraid to get too close, even though he looked like he was in desperate need of a hug.
Then came the moment that explained everything. He walked over to the Argentinian fans and eventually burst into tears. He had clearly been keeping it inside this whole time; He probably couldn’t accept the hug early because he didn’t want to break down too soon.
But even when Messi was crying, he was alone; that iconic number 10 jersey stood two meters from the group.
He must truly feel that this is the end for him and Argentina.
