"He was lazy" - When Lionel Messi's grandfather was not happy with performances in Copa America

Lionel Messi's grandfather, Antonio Cuccitini, once opined that the Argentine maestro was lazy during the closing stages of the 2015 Copa America. La Albiceleste lost the tournament to Chile in the final on penalties.

Before Copa America 2015, Lionel Messi had a treble-winning season with Barcelona under Luis Enrique. The trio of Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar massacred opposition backlines for fun and scored 122 goals (combined) across competitions that season. Lionel Messi racked up 58 goals and 31 assists in 57 games, clocking a goal contribution every 56.87 minutes.

However, the Argentine superstar had a forgettable Copa America campaign. In six games, he scored just one goal and assisted thrice. Argentina ended the tournament as silver medalists, losing 4-1 to Chile in the penalty shootout after 120 goalless minutes.

Speaking about Lionel Messi's tournament in an interview with Radio Casilda, Antonio Cuccitini opined that his grandson could have done more to help the team win the tournament.

"Some of him was there," he said (quoted by beIN Sports). "Triumphs are the greatest things there are. But the last three games he was bad. He was lazy."

However, Lionel Messi's international career has taken an about-turn in the last few years. After winning his first Copa America in 2021, La Albiceleste went on to win the FIFA World Cup 2022 and Copa America 2024.

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When Lionel Messi opened up about his international retirement post Copa America 2016

Argentina Vs Chile - Source: Getty

Lionel Messi once confessed that he was embarrassed to return to the national side after hastily announcing his retirement after La Albiceleste lost the Copa America 2016 final.

Chile came back to haunt Messi and Co. for the second consecutive year as they defeated them 4-2 on penalties in the Copa America 2016 final. Messi notably missed from the penalty spot as Chile registered their second consecutive Copa America win.

The incessant disappointments with the national team implored him to declare international retirement shortly after the Copa America heartbreak. However, he later changed his mind and returned to the international circuit.

The Argentine superstar opened up about the tumultuous situation in a 2017 interview with DIRECTV Sports. He said (via Hindustan Times):

“It [international retirement] was a decision I made in the heat of the moment, but I was embarrassed to say I wanted to come back. El Paton [Edgardo Bauza] and my teammates made everything easier for me to return."

"I take advantage of every moment, both on and off the pitch. I am experiencing this moment with the national team in a different way. I am more relaxed today. When they criticize me, I experience it differently.”

Argentina's manager Gerardo Martino was replaced by Edgardo Bauza shortly after the Copa America 2016 loss. As per reports, the new manager played a key role in convincing the Argentine to overturn his retirement.