'I didn’t feel like talking, I wanted to be locked up' - Lionel Messi opens up on Argentina's exit in Russia

What's the story?

Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi has finally opened up about his national team's early exit from the FIFA World Cup last summer, stating that all he wanted to do after another international disappointment was stay locked up at home.

In case you didn't know...

Despite having achieved tremendous success with Barcelona, Messi's book is wanting of a similar chapter with Argentina.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner won the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in 2005 and the Olympic Gold Medal in 2008 with his national side but these are often overlooked by fans and the media for 'bigger' titles.

Having led the team to the finals of the FIFA World Cup in 2014, the Argentine team missed out on a chance to redeem themselves in Russia last year. Messi notably took leave from international duty following their early exit from the competition.

The heart of the matter

"Era lindo tener a Cristiano Ronaldo en LaLiga por el prestigio que le daba. Excluyendo a él y a mí, los mejores jugadores del mundo son Mbappé, Neyrmar, Hazard, Suárez y el Kun", Messi elogiando a CR7 https://t.co/Vkp0Ejyj8W pic.twitter.com/0PY6P0RAF3

— MARCA Claro Argentina (@MARCAClaroARG) March 29, 2019

Messi has expressed his dismay at his national team's mistreatment despite what he calls its achievements and has opened up in detail on what it was like to face yet another disappointment in the World Cup.

Speaking on 947 FM Radio (Mundo Albiceleste), he said, "After the World Cup, I didn’t feel like talking. I wanted to be locked up and suffer on my own with my family. I wanted to get away from everything. Get away from the national team and look at things coldly. We’ve been mistreated for over a decade despite our achievements. This is despite not winning any trophies. We played three finals and to end this cycle this way."

"It was difficult to talk about the World Cup. There were many things that went wrong from the beginning. Not being able to win the first match, missing the penalty. The second match started out very even but after the first goal, things went south. We got disorganized. We qualified in the last match and then in the France match, it was 2-2 and they scored and we weren’t able to get it back together and then we had to start from behind. The World Cup started out badly. Qualifiers were difficult. It was all difficult."

What's next?

With the international break now over, Barcelona will return to action tonight when they face Espanyol in La Liga.