Image Source: Frank Fife/AFP via Getty Images
Lionel Messi, one of the greatest football players in history and a Paris Saint Germain icon, shares his own battle with Covid-19. He was infected in early January this year.
The 34-year-old sports star initially felt the symptoms of a cold, like sore throat, fever, and coughing. However, after they improved, he still experienced several respiratory issues, which left him wondering what was going on.
“It left me with after effects. It left me with after-effects in my lungs. I came back, and it was like a month and a half without even being able to run because my lungs were affected,” Messi said in an interview.
The Argentinian forward was unfortunate enough to miss three matches after he fell ill. In one round of the French Cup competition and two Ligue 1 matches, Messi could not play because his health did not allow it.
Messi missed the games and wanted to get back on track as soon as possible, he forced himself into becoming better – but it only made things worse for him.
“I came back before I should have, and it got worse because I went too fast, and it ended up setting me back. But I couldn’t take it anymore, I wanted to run, to train — I wanted to get going. And in the end, it got worse,” said the Argentine icon.
Messi also revealed the grief that he and his team felt after an upset loss against Real Madrid in the Championship League.
“When I was halfway there [towards being at my peak], the Real Madrid thing happened, and that killed us. It killed me and the whole locker room in general and all of Paris because we had this big dream in that competition,” Messi told interviewers.
“And the way it happened, the game, the result … it was a gut punch,” he added.
After careful and extensive medication, the football icon is now back on track and aims big for his next competition. Now, he is set to play with his national team against Italy in Finalissima.
Finalissima is a new competition in the football industry in its first edition still. It was initiated by the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) and the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL) to create a space for the winners of Copa America and Euro 2020.
Messi’s match will commence on June 1.
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