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Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi recently spoke with Olè, a newspaper in his home country, about his historic victory at the World Cup in Qatar. With this win, Messi takes a huge leap forward in his pursuit of the title of the greatest footballer of all time.
The celebration of this achievement was shared with the world, as Messi posted a photo of himself in bed with the championship trophy on Instagram, resulting in a record-breaking number of likes, almost 55 million
.The Origin of the Iconic World Cup Photo
In the interview, Messi recounts the story behind the now-famous photograph.
He explains that the team arrived at their hotel in the early morning hours after the World Cup victory and he had only slept for a couple of hours. At 6 in the morning, he turned on the TV in his room, where his teammates Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás Otamendi were staying across from him.
"I don't know why I ended up with the Cup that evening," says Messi. "It was in my room and Rodrigo appeared, I put myself like this and he said, 'Come, I'll take your picture.' " This simple act resulted in one of the most iconic images from the World Cup, with the photo becoming known as "The Couple."
The Importance of Rodrigo De Paul
Messi also spoke highly of Rodrigo De Paul, who captured the memorable moment.
"He's a very important person for the group from a football point of view and also in humans," says Messi. "He makes the difficult times a little more relaxed and it’s good that these things happen. And that’s not always the case, he has his moments too, even though people always see him messing around and laughing.
But in working hours he is the first to offer the maximum, to want more and it is very important for the group." In addition to reflecting on the World Cup victory, Lionel Messi has confirmed that he will continue to play for the Argentine national team, as long as his health permits. He has also expressed his intention to participate in the next World Cup in 2026, at the age of 39.