The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, acknowledged this Monday in Buenos Aires that he encouraged the Argentine team during the Qatar 2022 World Cup because he wanted Lionel Messi to be world champion.
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“Argentina ended 2022 in a privileged situation, not only in the economy, politics, but also in football. For the first time, I supported Argentina to be world champion,” Lula said in a joint statement with his Argentine counterpart, Alberto Fernandez.
Both leaders met this Monday at the Casa Rosada (headquarters of the Argentine Government) on the occasion of Lula’s first international trip after assuming his third term on January 1.
The one who was also president of Brazil between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2010 confessed that he wanted Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar because “Messi could not end his career without being world champion.”
“Now it’s up to Brazil”
“It was, it’s over. Now it’s Brazil’s turn,” he said emphatically to the laughter of all those present.
Argentina obtained its third world title on December 18 after beating France in the penalty shootout of the Qatar 2022 final to add to those achieved in 1978 and 1986.
