Lionel Messi finally sheds tears of joy - The Hindu - Pdf Slider

Argentina finally made Lionel Messi cry with joy. After losing four times in finals, early exits in major tournaments, and even a decision to retire from the national team, the superstar celebrated a much-awaited title with Argentina on Saturday. “I needed to remove from myself the thorn of achieving something with the national team,” Messi said after celebrating with his teammates. When Uruguayan referee Esteban Ostojich blew the final whistle, Messi knelt down on the pitch and covered his face with his hands. After he lifted the Copa America trophy, Messi spoke to his family on the phone. He flicked the gold medal around his neck and shouted “I won, I won!” The next challenge is to win the World Cup in Qatar next year, which would be the first since Maradona took the team to the title in 1986. Until Saturday, Messi’s titles with Argentina were only the U-20 World Cup title in 2005 and a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.