Lionel Messi gave his Argentina team-mate Leandro Paredes the silent treatment after his insulting comments against Barcelona.
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Article continues below
Article continues below
- Paredes opened up on getting silent treatment from Messi
- Stopped speaking after his derogatory comments on Barca
- Argentina will face Uruguay and Brazil in March
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Barcelona legend Messi bid an emotional goodbye to his boyhood club in 2021 as he moved to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. While he parted company with the Blaugrana, the legendary footballer still has a lot of respect for his former club. It got reflected in his treatment of fellow World Cup-winning Argentina star Paredes, after he insulted the Catalan side.
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- AFP
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The incident happened during PSG's Champions League clash against Barcelona in February 2021. The French champions had won the game 4-1 courtesy of Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick. Paredes, who then played for PSG, made derogatory comments towards the opponent to motivate his team-mates and Messi overheard the communication. Following the incident, the Argentina skipper stopped speaking to the midfielder for the next three months.
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WHAT LEANDRO PAREDES SAID
Speaking to , Paredes said: "We didn’t talk to each other for about three months. I had a really bad time. I sent him a message the next day, then another one 15 days later. I told him: ‘It wasn’t for you, it wasn’t meant to offend.’ But he didn’t respond. He didn’t answer for three months.
"It had been three months without us talking, and I thought: ‘Now I have to see how he reacts.’ But no, a phenomenon, a phenomenon. We arrived at the training camp on the same day, I arrived a little early and he appeared in my room. I was brushing my teeth, it was very early, and he threw water on me and said: ‘What are you doing up so early?"
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WHAT NEXT?
Messi and Paredes will be back in action for the reigning world champions later this month as Argentina are scheduled to face Uruguay and Brazil on March 22 and March 26 respectively in 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying matches.
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