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Paredes has now explained how the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner ignored him for months after a Champions League clash four years ago.
Leandro Paredes with Lionel Messi (Instagram)
Roma midfielder Leandro Paredes revealed that Lionel Messi once blanked him for months due to a misunderstanding.
The 30-year-old Argentine won the 2022 FIFA World Cup alongside Messi in Qatar. They also shared the locker room at Paris Saint-Germain for a brief period.
Paredes has now explained how the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner ignored him for months after a Champions League clash four years ago.
“We spent about three months without speaking. I had a terrible time,” the Argentine midfielder told Infobae on YouTube.
“I sent him [Messi] a message the next day, I sent him a message 15 days later, I told him: ‘It wasn’t for you, it wasn’t to offend.’ And he didn’t respond,” Paredes added.
During Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory over Barcelona in 2021, Leandro Paredes whispered something to his teammate. Lionel Messi, however, overheard his words and thought it was about him.
Despite Paredes’ continuous attempts to explain the situation, Messi chose not to speak with his Argentina teammate for an extended period.
“He went three months without answering. Three months had passed without speaking. I thought: ‘Now I have to see how he reacts,’” Paredes said.
In the same video, Leandro Paredes explained how things had eventually calmed down between him and Lionel Messi.
“We arrived at the premises on the same day. I arrived a little while 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?’” Paredes concluded.
Leandro Paredes had previously revealed that Lionel Messi ‘wanted to kill’ him because of this incident. He first narrated the story three years ago to Caja Negra. The 30-year-old voiced how he acted like nothing had happened after meeting him on national duty.
“It was bad. He wanted to kill me, and I wanted to go home. Afterwards I saw him in the national team and he acted as if nothing had happened,” he said.
“He showed me what he is like as a person. The relationship continued as it was. Now, when the conversation comes up, we talk about it and laugh,” Paredes added.
Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami break the all-time points record in the MLS last season. He also helped The Herons qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup by leading them to an MLS Supporters’ Shield crown. The Argentine will now hope to end Inter Miami’s title drought in 2025.
