09/12/2026
š£ļø JOURNALIST: Leo, thereās been a lot of talk about what supposedly happened between Rodrigo De Paul and Robert Lewandowski. De Paul reportedly brought up his two Copa AmĆ©rica titles and the World Cup, then asked Robert what he had won with Poland. What do you think?
š£ļø MESSI: āI care a lot about Rodrigo. Heās my teammate, my friend, and weāve been through so much together with Argentina.
But if thatās really what happened, then for me, RODRIGO WAS WRONG.
Winning the World Cup is the greatest thing a footballer can experience. We fought incredibly hard for it.
But lifting that trophy DOESNāT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO LOOK DOWN ON ANYONE ELSEāS CAREER.ā
š£ļø JOURNALIST: But Lewandowski has never won a major trophy with his country...
š£ļø MESSI: āAnd thatās not his fault.
Football is a team sport. You can be one of the best players of your generation and still never win a World Cup.
Just look at everything Lewandowski has achieved. The goals, the trophies, all those years competing at the very highest level...
HE DOESNāT NEED A WORLD CUP TO DESERVE RESPECT.ā
š£ļø JOURNALIST: So what would you say to De Paul?
š£ļø MESSI: āIād say it to his face.
Of course we should be proud of everything weāve achieved. But you should never use those trophies to PUT ANOTHER PLAYER DOWN.
We became world champions because WE ALL FOUGHT FOR IT TOGETHER.
It wasnāt just Rodrigo.
And it wasnāt just me.ā
š£ļø JOURNALIST: Does Lewandowski still have your respect?
š£ļø MESSI: āOf course.
TOTAL RESPECT.
Iāve played against Robert. I know exactly what kind of player he is.
Trophies only tell part of the story of your career.
But RESPECT ISNāT MEASURED BY HOW MANY TROPHIES YOU HAVE IN YOUR CABINET.ā