Lionel Messi became the highest winner of titles in the history of football after winning the Leagues Cup with Inter Miami last Saturday, August 19, by defeating Nashville SC on penalties.
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With the obtention of the trophy, he reached a total of 44 titles and surpassed Brazilian full-back Dani Alves on the list. However, an Argentine researcher mentioned that this may not be true due to a curious incident that happened years ago. What happened?
It turns out that journalist Oscar Barnade stated that Messi does not hold that amount of titles because he was not present in the final of the 2005 Spanish Super Cup as part of the FC Barcelona squad, under the command of coach Frank Rijkaard, to play against Real Betis.
The match, which took place in a home-and-away series, did not include the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. Barnade claimed that Messi suffered from a stomach problem and later joined the 'Albiceleste' national team to make his debut against Hungary in a friendly.
Nevertheless, the former Paris Saint-Germain player watched the game from one of the stands at Camp Nou. The match ended in favor of 'Cúles', but Messi did not receive any medal and did not celebrate with his teammates on the field.
"In the coverage of the following day, it was clear that Lionel didn't even join the celebrations. He was in the stands, didn't enter the field, didn't receive any medals. He wasn't and didn't feel like a champion", he expressed.