Lionel Messi has admitted that he regretted the incidents that took place during and after Argentina’s 2022 World Cup quarter-final tie against the Netherlands.

Argentina managed to qualify on penalties after a tense game where Messi was engaged in an argument with the Dutch coach, Louis van Gaal.

After the game, Messi still looked frustrated despite Argentina’s victory and lashed out at the Netherlands striker Wout Weghorst.

However, the Paris Saint-Germain star and Argentina captain has admitted that he is not pleased with what happened with the current Manchester United striker. “I didn’t think about it, it came out in the moment,” Messi said of the incident with Weghorst in an interview with a radio show.

He also remembered Diego Maradona and stressed that he wished the late Argentina legend were alive to watch the final.

Messi recalled the moment when he kissed the trophy before he lifted it. “The World Cup was calling me. It said to me ‘Here I am, come and grab me, now you can touch me’, he said. “I saw it shining there, it stood out in that beautiful stadium and I didn’t think about it, I went to kiss it because I passed by it. I needed it.”

PSG drop points

PSG’s mediocre run in Ligue 1 continued as they fell to a lastgasp 1-1 draw at home against Stade de Reims after being reduced to 10 men on Sunday.

Neymar scored early in the second half before Marco Verratti was shown a straight red card shortly after coming on as a substitute, with Folarin Balogun equalising six minutes into stoppage time.

PSG missed out on an opportunity to extend their lead to five points after Lens, Marseille and Monaco also grabbed only one point.

Written with inputs from Reuters