"My son is asking me: 'Why are you being slaughtered in Argentina?"

"It became the norm to say things about me, invent stuff... They have a go at me when I'm not there. I know it is spoken a lot about, but what has been happening recently doesn't surprise me at all. Lots of lies and invented things. It makes me mad because because people believe what is said," said Messi in an interview for 'Club 947'

Messi wanted to emphasise and highlight his pain after the Russian World Cup: "I thought about locking myself away, going into mourning just with my family to forget everything that had just happened. I try to isolate myself a little bit from everything. Get away from the national team."

"I want to win something with my country. I am going to play in all the important competitions. Many people said I wouldn't return, family, friends... My six year-old son, who understands, says to me: "Why do they slaughter you in Argentina? Why are you going, Dad?", he painfully revealed about his situation in the Argentina team. Nevertheless, Messi stressed his commitment to Argentina: "We are a group which doesn't kid people, we don't always say we love the national team. I don't always say it every so often like others do. And anyone who wants to think differently can do. We don't kid people."

"We are professional otherwise I wouldn't have gone back to the national team. Nobody forces me to go. People said I skipped the Morocco game because of a baptism. I reached and I didn't know anything about the baptism. That's absolute nonsense," he added. In the meantime, Leo took advantage to deny he has got involved in Sampaoli's sacking and in his successor: "I left the World Cup and I never spoke to anybody else. Scaloni called me various times and told me about the project. I never spoke to anybody so that Scaloni became the coach."

"I would never have said anything to Tapia (Argentine FA president), because afterwards they say that I choose the coaches and that's false. It's Tapia's decision, I am never going to decide on a coach or player. Anyone can say anything and people buy it.

Likewise, Leo admitted that he has not been fully fit since Christmas: "The reality is that I have had a hernia since even before the Christmas break and I have been training little. I have not been playing every game. Hernias are complicated. It can't just be taken out like that. I feel back, but it is still not clear. I have to look after myself. 

That said, Messi considers that Argentina have been missing a bit of luck: "If we had won the final in Brazil, everything would have been very different. We did everything and it didn't happen because of fine margins. España played amazingly in 2010, but also got lucky. We never were. If we had won the World Cup then we would have won the Copa America as well."

"Being the World Champion is the best thing. Money can't buy it. It's the most beautiful and most important thing. It's more difficult to enjoy in the national team with the atmosphere there is around it. I am going to delay my retirement for as long as I can. I have loved football since I was born. I play for myself, my family, my teammates and for those who enjoy what I do. Those who don't love me will have to put up with me for a little bit longer," he admitted.

Finally, he also made a comment about his arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo: "It was nice having Ronaldo in La Liga because of the prestige that he gave to the competition. I have a lot of respect for Juventus, they are a great candidate for the Champions League. They are a very good team and having Cristiano Ronaldo, even more so.