'World-Class Character': Messi Stops for Journalist in Wheelchair

Interview After Quarterfinal Match Against Egypt
"I Believed We Still Deserved to Compete"

Lionel Messi, star player for the Argentina national football team and widely revered as the "God of Football," is being praised for his warm compassion. He was captured personally walking over to interview a journalist in a wheelchair, drawing attention from fans and media alike.

On July 8 (local time), during the round of 16 match at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, Messi's Argentina faced off against Egypt. After a fiercely contested game, Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2. The Argentine players, exhausted from the match, began to leave the stadium.

At that moment, Manu Gutierrez, a Venezuelan journalist in a wheelchair, was waiting in the mixed zone—a designated area just outside the field where players and reporters meet for brief interviews. While Gutierrez hoped to interview the players, the tired Argentine national team members failed to notice him and walked past.

Lionel Messi interviewing a Venezuelan journalist in a wheelchair. YouTube capture

However, Messi noticed Gutierrez and stopped. With a warm smile, Messi walked over to Gutierrez and completed the interview to the end. When asked, "You have broken every record at this World Cup," Messi replied, "I never focused on the records. It was just a natural result of playing the games."

Asked about the tears he shed after the match, Messi said, "It was really tough when we were down 0-2. But I didn't want to leave the World Cup, and I believed we still deserved to keep competing. When the relief and sense of liberation of making it to the next round hit me, I couldn't hold back my tears."

That day, Messi scored his 8th goal of the tournament, making him the sole leading scorer among all World Cup players. He also set numerous new records, including scoring in nine consecutive World Cup matches and a total of 21 career goals in the tournament.

However, he also missed two penalty kicks in a single tournament. After the final whistle, Messi shed tears of joy, but during the subsequent group interview, he expressed his regret, saying, "If I had scored the penalty kick at that moment, the flow of the game might have changed. For a moment, I felt like I had disappointed the team."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.