World Cup

Messi: “Lewandowski’s statements bothered me in 2021, I intentionally let him dribble at the World Cup”

Published

2 years ago

December 1, 2023

Madelyn

Messi: “Lewandowski’s statements bothered me in 2021, I intentionally let him dribble at the World Cup”

Lionel Messi revealed in an interview that he was annoyed by Robert Lewandowski’s statements about him in 2021 and therefore tried to dribble him at the Argentina – Poland World Cup a year later.

Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have mutual respect, but there was a time when their relationship was tested and the reason for that was winning the Ballon d’Or in 2021.

It was won by Lionel Messi, with Pulga mentioning at the time that ‘Leva’ deserved the special award last year which was not awarded due to the pandemic, however Lewandowski’s statements reportedly questioned the sincerity of the Argentine’s claims.

Later, the Polish striker spoke of a misinterpretation by the media, but Messi did not forget it and had his blood drawn during the Argentina-Poland World Cup in Qatar, referring to the match at that time in his interview:

“Lewandowski’s comments bothered me because when I won the Ballon d’Or I said things the way I really felt about them and it was annoying for him to talk about me like that.”

I ignored him during the argument between us and was angry with him. “I was very angry and deliberately tattled on him.” Messi first emphasized, then referred to the de-escalation of tensions:

“After what happened, we spoke and agreed it was a misunderstanding. He was upset because what he said wasn’t spelled correctly. Then he went to Barcelona and we talked about a lot of things about the club and the city.”

It is noted that the game against Poland was not the only one that caused Messi to “escape”, as the same thing happened in the quarter-final against the Netherlands, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner referring to the conflict created with Louis van Gal.

“The thing with Holland was very similar to that with Lewandowski. It bothers me when people talk off the field and disrespect their opponents. Before the game I didn’t try to make Van Gaal angry.”

I wasn’t disrespectful, I never do that and I don’t like being disrespected. I think Van Gaal did it on purpose, as did their goalkeeper before the game. I don’t like these things. A million things can happen on the field, but they stay there.”

Source: sport 24

Madelyn

I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.

World Cup

Martinez explains why Ronaldo is still irreplaceable in the national team

Published

2 days ago

December 24, 2025

Kyle

Martinez explains why Ronaldo is still irreplaceable in the national team

Head coach of the Portuguese national team Roberto Martinez He explained why Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play an important role in the national team.

– There is always a lot of talk around Cristiano Ronaldo. Why does he remain the undisputed starter for the Portuguese national team, even though he will soon be 41?

“It’s all about his attitude towards the profession.” We constantly evaluate three key factors: talent level, accumulated experience and the contribution a player can make to the national team.

Making the highest demands on himself for the benefit of the team allows the captain to maintain his place in the squad. His desire to be the best is passed on to his partners. “The 25 goals he scored in 30 matches as a striker confirms that his play brings tangible benefits to the national team,” he said.

Source: Sport UA

Kyle

I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.

World Cup

FIFA changes rules for emergency draw 2026

Published

2 days ago

December 23, 2025

Thomas

FIFA changes rules for emergency draw 2026

The International Football Federation has confirmed the implementation of the seeding change in the draw procedure for the 2026 World Cup, which has stagnated the seeding system, similar to the one contested on the tennis court. Wimbledon tournaments.

This new system, which has already been tested at the World Club Championship, guarantees that the highest rated teams will be placed at the bottom of the tournament bracket. The aim is to give the bigs the best chance of reaching the final or being accepted before the semi-final.

Under the new principle, the top two ranked teams (Spain and Argentina) will be placed first on the bottom line, and the same principle will apply to the third and fourth teams (France and England).

“To ensure that the two best-ranked teams, once they have won their group, do not compete against each other until the final,” FIFA says.

The new method has the potential to create more balance between teams and ensure that the strongest teams come together in the later stages of growth, as is often the case. Tenis, where the seeding system ensures finals between the nearest gravel types.

Although weaker teams can strengthen their system, this system supports sporting integrity and gives an advantage to the most successful teams. FIFA is committed to competitive balance and will give matches the highest priority to fans.

The draw for the Emergency 2026 group stage will take place on the 5th day and the latest updates on the match schedule and stadiums will be announced the following day.

Source: Football UA

Thomas

Thomas Astudillo is a sports journalist and author who writes for Sportish. He has a deep love and knowledge of sports, and is known for his engaging and informative writing on the latest sports news and events.

World Cup

Ukraine loses 4th cat when foaling for Emergency 2026

Published

2 days ago

December 23, 2025

Thomas

Ukraine loses 4th cat when foaling for Emergency 2026

The International Football Federation has officially decided that teams that qualify for the World Cup through play-off matches (this category currently belongs to Ukraine) will be automatically eliminated up to 4th place.

This means that once someone has successfully qualified for Ukraine, he or she will have an even more complex group, with the 4th group consisting of the weakest rated participants, who are guaranteed to be eliminated to the groups with the strongest teams from the 1st cat.

FIFA has confirmed a major change to the draw procedure, introducing a seeding system similar to that of the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

Change the clicks to ensure that the strongest teams play among themselves in the later stages of development, increasing interest until the final stages of the tournament.

Source: Football UA

Thomas