Barcelona star, Lionel Messi: My son asked why they crucified me in Argentina

The Barcelona striker, Lionel Messi, admitted that he was upset by lies about his role with Argentina and that even his son had asked him why he was so severely criticized in his country.

Messi returned to international play with Albiceleste after an interruption of nine months after the World Cup last week, but could not prevent a 3-1 defeat against Venezuela in Madrid.

The 31-year-old then returned to Barcelona because of "pubic pain" and missed the 1-0 win over Morocco.

This provoked controversy in his native country, especially since he was training with the Catalan club on Wednesday while attending the Cesc Fabregas three children's baptism on Sunday.

"People said I came back because of a baptism," Messi told Radio 94.7 Club Octubre. "It's just anything, it hurts me people to lie, I do not hear or see these things, but my family suffers, some will invent anything and people Then I'm the son of a b ****, they say my father runs the AFA (Argentine Football Association) and he does what we want. lies."

And regarding his fitness issues, which have been questioned by fans and the press in Argentina, he said, "The truth is that I've had this public problem since the December break. I played less. In recent years, I have taken care of myself.

"[Lionel] Scaloni knows it and that's why he decided not to travel [to Morocco]that the rest would do me good. "

Messi says he's engaged in Argentina, despite criticism, and revealed that he remained committed to winning a trophy with his national team.

"If I did not want to, I would not play for the national team," he said. "Nobody forces me to do it. I want to win something with this team. I want to be here and I want to play in all important competitions.

"When I decided to go back there, a lot of people were against me. My son said, "Why are they crucifying you in Argentina?" I tell him that it's only certain people, that there are others who love me. I show my affection for the national team in a different way and for those who say the same thing, I have nothing to prove. "

The winner of the Ballon d'Or five times has also rejected suggestions to choose the coach or players, which has been speculated over the years in his country.

"People say I choose coaches and that's a lie," he said. "C & # 39; [Chiqui] Tapia's decision. I would never choose a coach or a player. And he cited the example of Sergio Aguero of Manchester City. "Kun repeated it many times:" I'm a friend of Leo and I'm a submarine. "If I had so much power, Kun would be a starter, I do not want to give credit to all these the lies they tell, I just played and did my best. "

Messi has also been criticized by the Argentine press and said he and his team-mates could be proud to reach three finals between 2014 and 2016.

"This generation had to live with abnormal things that no other team has had to bear," he said. "So much nonsense and lies, people who talk without even thinking about it, I've never seen it before.

"What the national team has achieved is extraordinary: a World Cup final, two finals of the Copa America, it's not easy. We have always had problems with the press. That's why we stopped talking to them for a while. We stayed strong and we did not think of the nonsense we were hearing. "

Argentina and Messi will now aim for another Copa America as the continental competition takes place in Brazil in June and July and the Barca striker announces positive signs despite the defeat against Venezuela.

"It's a good group of young players," he said. "There is a lot of talent. They brought together a good group of important actors. Despite what happened against Venezuela, there were good things. I knew the players of their teams, but I enjoyed coaching with them. I liked it a lot.

"There are players with a lot of potential, but the change was very brutal. We must give them time. It's time for the national team to grow. We should not crucify them for having played badly. "

And asking him if he was considering returning to Argentina to play in the club that he has been supporting since his childhood, Newell's, he replied: "I'd like to play at Newell, but that It's not easy to get back to Argentina and I have to think about my family and kids. It depends on them too.