"If he played for Spain, he'd have a World Cup" - Spanish great weighs in on Lionel Messi's failures with Argentina

In an interview with Spanish magazine Cultura del Gol, Spanish World Cup winner Joan Capdevila has claimed that Lionel Messi would have been privy to a World Cup medal if he had chosen to play with Spain.

Lionel Messi had the option of playing for Spain early in his career but chose to represent Argentine and swore allegiance to the country of his birth. While Argentina has not managed to lift the World Cup, Lionel Messi is still a figure of inspiration in the South American country.

Imagínate que Messi, que es el mejor del mundo no tiene un Mundial, y yo que soy el punto cinco por ciento de lo que es él, lo gané. Con trabajo, entusiasmo e ilusión se pueden conseguir cosas, no es necesario ser una estrella para conseguir un título.- Joan Capdevila pic.twitter.com/2ToXCGuK2o

— CANCHA (@reformacancha) April 30, 2020

Joan Capdevila was an integral part of Spain's world-beating side in the 2010 World Cup and said that Lionel Messi would have had the chance to win the coveted trophy himself had he played for the Spanish Armada.

Lionel Messi has attempted to win the trophy on four different occasions but has failed every single time with Argentina. The Argentine talisman has been subjected to harsh criticism for his failures with his country despite being Argentina's greatest goalscorer of all time.

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Lionel Messi should have played for Spain, according to Joan Capdevila

Lionel Messi has often played against Joan Capdevila

According to Joan Capdevila, Lionel Messi should have chosen to represent Spain when he had the chance. The Argentine forward was given a choice to represent Spain on account of his partial Catalan ancestry but did not take up the offer and chose to play for Argentina instead.

"If Lionel Messi were Spanish, he would have won a World Cup."

Joan Capdevila won the World Cup with Spain in 2010 as the country's first-choice left-back. Many of Lionel Messi's teammates at Barcelona played an integral role in winning Spain its first World Cup trophy in history.

Former Spain manager Vicente del Bosque 🗣"The Federation made every effort to get Messi to play for Spain. Lionel refused because he loves his country. His arrival would have been for the best."Imagine Messi in Spain's 2010 World Cup winning team 😭 pic.twitter.com/cNy47eyBvK

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) May 2, 2019

Lionel Messi formed a telepathic understanding with Spanish lynchpins Xavi and Andres Iniesta at Barcelona and would have made Spain one of the greatest national teams in history had he chosen to play for the country.

Lionel Messi's failures with Argentina have been well-documented over the years. The Argentine captain has nearly won the Copa del Rey trophy on several occasions and lost his only World Cup final in a heartbreaking match against Germany in 2014.

Joan Capdevila believes that Lionel Messi deserves the World Cup trophy more than any other player in the history of the game.

Lionel Messi chose to play for Argentina

"I can't get my head how the best player of all time doesn't have a World Cup. Lionel Messi deserves it for what he's done in football."

Lionel Messi is arguably one of the greatest players in the history of the beautiful game. The Argentine genius rivals the likes of Diego Maradona and Pele in terms of skill and natural talent and will go down as the greatest the game has ever seen.

The only trophies Lionel Messi has not won in his career are those that he has narrowly missed out on with Argentine. One cannot help but wonder if his trophy cabinet would have been a tad more glorious had he played for Spain.

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