Lionel Messi compares joy of winning World Cup to birth of his children, amid Ronaldo's dig at Argentina's achievement

Messi was recently recognised as the guest of honor at the American Business Forum, where Miami’s mayor presented him with the “key to the city” as a symbolic mark of respect.

During the same event, Messi described the elation of lifting the World Cup with Argentina, saying the feeling was as profound and unforgettable as the birth of his children.

"With all due respect, because it has nothing to do with it, but when I won the World Cup at the professional level, I had the same feeling as when my children were born. It's a feeling that's hard to explain, it's so special and so big that anything I say falls short," Messi said.

The Inter Miami star reflected on Argentina’s celebrations, saying the victory was deeply meaningful for the nation and personally special, calling the World Cup the ultimate achievement.

"The way the country celebrated showed how much we needed and wanted this to happen again after so long. For me, it was special; winning the World Cup is the ultimate. After the World Cup, you can't ask for anything more," said the number 10.

Also Read - Cristiano Ronaldo takes a dig at Lionel Messi, downplays Argentina’s World Cup win: 'How many they won before him?'

He added, “For me, it was special. First, because for a player, winning the World Cup is the ultimate achievement. It's like anyone in their job, any professional reaching the top. There's nothing more after the World Cup. You can't ask for anything more. And on top of that, I had been lucky enough to have achieved everything before. At the club level, at the individual level. We had also won the Copa América with the national team. That was the missing piece. It was like closing out my entire career with that trophy."

Ronaldo takes a dig at Messi's World Cup win

Meanwhile, recently, his long-time rival Ronaldo downplayed Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph, taking a shot at the Barcelona great, “How many World Cups did Argentina win before Messi? I don’t know, two times? It’s normal. These countries are used to winning big competitions,” Ronaldo said during an interview with Piers Morgan, shared on Thursday.

The Argentine captain also shared his thoughts on the upcoming 2026 World Cup, set to take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Although he has not yet confirmed participating in the tournament, he reflected on defending the World Cup title, saying, “I have very high expectations that the World Cup will be something extraordinary.”

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