“I won’t sing the national anthem on purpose” - When Lionel Messi publicly slammed Argentina fans through X-rated rant

Lionel Messi went on a foul-mouthed rant almost nine years ago after fans criticised him for his performances with the Argentina national team. They were also unhappy with him for not singing the national anthem ahead of the game, and he admitted that it was intentional.

Speaking to TyC Sports in 2015, the now Inter Miami star claimed that he was furious with the fans for asking him to put in more effort. He pointed out that they had made the final of the FIFA World Cup and the Copa America, but fans were ungrateful. He said:

"I get annoyed when they tell us put in more effort, you don't feel the shirt. We were lucky enough to get to the final of the World Cup and the Copa America and it seems like we didn't do anything. We got to two finals, for f--k's sake. We didn't win, what can you do, but we got to the final, we didn't lose in the last-16."

He added:

"Football is not just about effort. We had bad times in the national team for what we experienced. We lost the final of the World Cup against Germany who have great players and we had great chances to win it. With Chile it was the same and we lost on penalties. I get annoyed by the people who attack you without thinking. I won't sing the national anthem on purpose. I don't need to sing it to feel it. It reaches me, every person feels it in their own way. The Pumas cry, they feel it differently and that's ok."

Lionel Messi guided Argentina to another Copa America final in 2016, where they once again lost to Chile. He announced his retirement from international football right after the game before making a U-turn later.

Lionel Messi returns to win Copa America and FIFA World Cup

Lionel Messi quickly reversed his decision to retire from international football, months after the Copa America loss. The Argentine went on to captain the team for the next few years after the comeback.

Messi ended his hunt for a trophy with the national team by winning the Copa America in 2021. They defeated Brazil in the final at the Maracana with Angel Di Maria scoring the only goal of the game.

Lionel Messi then took Argentina to the final of the FIFA World Cup again in 2022, eight years after losing to Germany. However, this time he managed to score a brace and help his side win the title with a penalty shootout win over France.