‘Even my grandmother realised that!’ - Lionel Messi did target Robert Lewandowski at 2022 World Cup as Angel Di Maria warns rivals not to make Inter Miami & Argentina superstar angry

Argentina locked horns with Poland in their final group stage outing at a global gathering in Qatar. Having suffered a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening fixture, while edging past Mexico in their second, the Albiceleste knew that nothing less than a win would do. Messi was not on target against the Poles, but he did impress in a 2-0 win and made a point of drifting far enough back that he got a chance to tangle with current Barcelona striker Lewandowski at various intervals – with Argentina ultimately going on to land the biggest prize in football.

Di Maria has told the Star+ documentary ‘Champions, a year later’: “Even my grandmother realised that Messi was deliberately confronting Lewandowski. These are things about him that remain inside him sometimes. When someone talks about him, he ends up throwing it at you.”

Di Maria added on Messi’s desire to get one over on anybody that has written him off, with Lewandowski having questioned why the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner did not vote for him when collecting the 2021 FIFA Best Award: “There are people who talk and don't respect him, and don't realise that he is the best player in history. So you don't have to tell him anything, because in the end he ends up getting angry and it makes things worse [for opponents].”

Messi completed his medal collection when inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory. He has crossed paths with Lewandowski again since, but the South American superstar is now plying his club trade in MLS with Inter Miami while a Polish rival is seeing questions asked of his future at Camp Nou – amid talk of potentially joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Co in the Middle East.