‘I Won World Cup With Lionel Messi

It’s easy to assume that all football teammates get along. After all, the beautiful game thrives on unity, and without it, legendary teams like Brazil or Real Madrid wouldn’t have achieved the success they have. But one conversation with Leandro Paredes is enough to remind you that even the most accomplished teammates don’t always see eye to eye.

The Roma defensive midfielder was part of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad, a team that, from the outside, appeared to be a picture of harmony as they helped Lionel Messi achieve footballing immortality. While that was largely true, Paredes recently revealed that he once found himself on the receiving end of a cold shoulder from the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner following a Champions League clash in 2021.

On the pitch, Messi is known for his quiet, introverted demeanour, rarely allowing his emotions to dictate his actions. His playing style reflects this – effortlessly gliding between positions with a sense of calm and control. However, as his fallout with Paredes shows, even the most composed players have a fiery edge when pushed.

Related

10 Sets of Football Teammates That Openly Disliked Each Other

Teammates in football don’t always get on as these 10 examples prove.

Lionel Messi’s Three-Month Feud with Leandro Paredes

The Roma star was given radio silence from the icon over a misunderstanding

During PSG’s classy 4-1 Champions League Round of 16 win over Barcelona back in 2021, Paredes said something to a teammate which Messi apparently overheard and thought was about him. Despite Paredes’ attempts to explain the situation, Messi refused to talk to him.

“We spent about three months without speaking, I had a terrible time,” Paredes told Infobae, as per The Mirror. “I sent him 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’.

He continued: “But no, a phenomenon, a phenomenon, because 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?’.”

Related

15 Greatest Argentine Players in Football History [Ranked]

From Lionel Messi to Diego Maradona, Argentina have time and again produced true greats of the game.

Paredes had previously revealed that Messi “wanted to kill me” as a result of the incident, but added that the pair now “talk about it and laugh”. He told Caja Negra in 2022: “He got angry, because I had made a comment to my teammates, and he heard me, and he got angry.

Paredes and Messi’s On-Field Relationship Since

The two Argentinians would join forces at PSG shortly after the spat

It’s safe to say the Argentine duo have long since buried the hatchet following their three-month feud. In 2021, the very same year tensions arose between them, Leandro Paredes actively encouraged his compatriot to join Paris Saint-Germain – a move that became reality when Lionel Messi left Barcelona upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2020/21 season.

During their time together in the French capital, which ended in 2023 when Messi moved to Inter Miami and Paredes returned to Roma, the pair lifted two Ligue 1 titles. Across their careers, they have shared the pitch 70 times for PSG and Argentina.

Only six players have played alongside Paredes more frequently, with his nearly 3,800 minutes on the field with Messi resulting in four joint goal contributions. With neither player signalling retirement from international duty, and the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, that number could very well rise in the months ahead.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (correct as of 09/03/2025)