<figure id="attachment_2950244" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2950244" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/c7c026eb-12370692_1600x1000_1.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" class="size-full wp-image-2950244" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2950244" class="wp-caption-text">Lionel Messi said he always felt very loved by the Mexican people and has never disrespected anyone. (EPA Images pic)</figcaption></figure>
MEXICO CITY: Lionel Messi has poured cold water on the idea of a heated rivalry between Argentina and Mexico, saying that the alleged tensions between the teams simply do not exist.
Video footage of an incident in the dressing room after the Mexico v Argentina group match at the 2022 Qatar World Cup appeared to show Messi nudging Mexico captain Andres Guardado&#8217;s jersey, sparking a media storm.
&#8220;They put themselves in a position of having a rivalry with us that doesn&#8217;t really exist,&#8221; Messi told Simplemente Futbol.
&#8220;There is no comparison between Argentina and Mexico and I don&#8217;t know where it comes from,&#8221; he said.
Messi insisted his relationship with the country remained positive.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve always felt very loved by the Mexican people, I&#8217;ve never disrespected anyone,&#8221; he said.
The eight-times Ballon d&#8217;Or winner recalled his decisive goal against Mexico in Qatar, describing it as a huge relief that revitalised his team&#8217;s campaign on a day when the Mexican supporters dominated the stands.
&#8220;The goal I enjoyed the most in Qatar was the one against Mexico. Not because of the fans, far from it. It was a huge relief and gave us the chance to be ourselves again,&#8221; said Messi, who has scored four goals against Mexico since 2006 and never lost to them in six meetings.

MatchPoint Times

Messi plays down Argentina-Mexico rivalry

Video footage of a dressing room incident involving him after the 2022 Qatar World Cup group match with Mexico sparked a media storm.

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