‘It's Difficult Being Lionel Messi,' Claims Former Premier League Star

Former Premier League player Hernan Crespo has said that being Lionel Messi is not easy and he would love to see his fellow Argentinean lift the prestigious World Cup trophy for their country.

The duo of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has dominated the sport of soccer for over a decade now. While Messi has not won a single trophy for Argentina, Ronaldo recently ticked off the international column by leading Portugal to trophies in UEFA Euro 2016 and UEFA Nations League 2018-19. Lack of success on the international level is always used against Messi when it comes to the GOAT debates involving him and Ronaldo.

Former Argentina striker Crespo, however, has insisted even if Messi has not been able to replicate his club success in the Argentine colors, it should take nothing away from his greatness.

“It is very difficult to be Messi, nobody can put himself in his place as nobody could, at the time, put himself in Maradona’s place. It is impossible to know what they think and what they live. It makes me happy to see him play in the national team, I would love, as an Argentine also, to see him become world champion.

Leo is a guy who has been at a very high level for many years, receives kicks, gets up and carries on, always working. Actually, if you think about it, somehow it is soccer that owes Messi. But that is not going to take away greatness,” Crespo said in an interview recently, as reported by Diario Ole.

Crespo, who had stints with Premier League and Serie during his 19-year professional career, went on to further add that even though the country has been waiting for Messi to bring the World Cup home, the Barcelona captain goes “beyond a title.”

“We are Argentines and we want him to be world champion, I want him it all my heart, but he goes beyond a title and he will not stop being immense,” Crespo explained.

Messi, 32, earlier in October reportedly said that he would have loved to win a World Cup but “wouldn’t change anything else in my career to be one.”

The next edition of the FIFA World Cup is in Qatar in 2022 and for the first time, the event is set to be a winter tournament. Messi, who’ll turn 35 by then, has said he is unsure if he would be able to participate.