"You don't feel as anxious" - Lionel Messi admits Copa America 2021 triumph has taken pressure off Argentina at 2022 FIFA World Cup 

Argentina captain Lionel Messi recently claimed that their 2021 Copa America triumph lifted the pressure off the Albicelestes ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Copa America triumph was the forward's first major international trophy win for his country as they beat Brazil 1-0 in the final. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) man has claimed it will help his side play more freely in the World Cup.

He said ahead of the Qatar showpiece (via Roy Nemer):

"We just won a tournament and obviously it helps you work in a different way. You don't feel as anxious. IT doesn't put as much pressure on you, we just focus on enjoying our time with the national team."

Messi has played in four editions of the World Cup between 2006 and 2018 in his career. Reaching the final in 2014 has been his best performance in the tournament so far.

Argentina will kick off their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign on November 22 against Saudi Arabia. They will also play Mexico and Poland in Group C on November 27 and December 1 respectively.

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Robert Lewandowski dismissed Lionel Messi claim as Poland will face Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Argentina Training Session - 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar: Lionel Messi

Robert Lewandowski was asked by a TyC Sports journalist whether he will shake Messi's hand when Poland face Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He replied (via Barca Blaugranes):

“Why not? Why wouldn’t we [shake hands]? When, between me and Messi everything is fine? I have nothing [against] him, never had. Why?"

The journalist implied that although Lewandowski opined that he should win the 2021 Ballon d'Or, the Argentina captain didn't vote for him.

The Polish hitman refuted those claims. He replied:

“When and where? No, I don’t know that I said it like that. Maybe you saw it on Instagram or something like that, maybe someone [said] it like that, but not me.”

After winning the 2021 Ballon d'Or, Messi suggested that the organizers should have had the 2020 Ballon d'Or ready and that Lewandowski should have won it. The 2020 edition of the prize was canceled due to COVID-19.

Lewandowski later said in a different interview:

“Messi’s words towards me [about the Ballon d’Or] really touched me. They weren’t empty words, it was a nice moment in my career. I only spoke a few words with Leo [face to face], because my Spanish is not that good. I spoke with Kylian [Mbappe] in English, he then translated for Leo. It was a great night.”

Lewandowski won the Striker of the Year award in 2021 and 2022.