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The story of former South American referee Carlos Chandía illustrates the huge impact Leo Messi has on the football world. When Messi was just 20 years old, playing in the Copa America, many already recognized that the Argentine winger would become a major star and predicted he would become the best footballer in the world. This amazing player has demonstrated this over the years, confirming that the predictions about him were indeed well-founded.
Former Chilean referee Carlos Chandía admitted that during the semifinal of the Copa America in 2007 between Argentina and Mexico, he intentionally avoided giving a yellow card to Lionel Messi in exchange for the iconic player’s jersey. At that time, Messi was just beginning his illustrious career, and Chandía recognized that he would become a significant name in football.
During the Copa America semifinal, Chandía decided to overlook a deliberate handball by Messi in exchange for his jersey, allowing him the chance to play in the final. Speaking to TNT Chile, Chandía said, "Without any need, Messi handled the ball in the middle of the field. Since it wasn't a clear goal-scoring opportunity for Mexico, I told him: 'This is a yellow card, but I won't give it to you if you give me your jersey.' After the match, I got the jersey."
His statements sparked a huge number of reactions and further deepened the criticism that had been directed at Barcelona, the club where Leo Messi spent nearly his entire career. However, the Chilean referee has no regrets, stressing that he made the right move at that time.
The score was 3-0 with two and a half minutes left. "If I had sent him off, he would have missed the chance to play in the Copa America final," Chandía admitted. "He gave me the jersey in the locker room. He wanted to do it on the field, but I didn’t allow that. In the end, he left the jersey for me."
The jersey now belongs to his son.
It's a remarkable thing to have the jersey of such a legend in your wardrobe, and the Chilean referee fulfilled that wish for his son. At the time, his son likely had no idea what an incredible player Leo Messi would become and the huge impact he would have on football, leading many to consider him the greatest of all time. The Chilean referee also reflected on the decision regarding who would officiate the Copa America final, believing that he did not receive that role simply because he hadn't given a yellow card to the Argentine winger.
"I gave the jersey to my son. He keeps it safe," the Chilean referee said, adding that he believes missing the chance to suspend Messi cost him the opportunity to officiate the final. "I really think the Brazilians influenced the selection of the referee and had complaints about me not giving Messi a yellow card. I'm convinced that's why I didn't referee the final," he stated.
In the match against Mexico, Messi scored to make it 2-0 in the 61st minute, with goals also coming from Gabriel Heinze and Juan Román Riquelme. However, in the final, Messi and his team did not fare well, being decisively defeated by their biggest rivals, Brazil, with a score of 3-0. Messi waited until 2021 to finally win a Copa America trophy, which he secured last summer.
Leo Messi on winning a Copa America
Messi shared that he finally feels at peace after achieving a dream he had tried to reach many times before. He described the moment as surreal, almost like a dream, and admitted that he couldn’t fully understand what was happening at the time. Now, he finds more joy in looking back at those memories than he did in the moment because he was so overwhelmed.
When asked about how he felt after previous defeats, Messi mentioned that some media platforms labeled the team as failures, suggesting they didn't take the responsibility of wearing the national jersey seriously enough and that they didn't deserve to be part of the national team.
He emphasized that the players wanted to be champions and that winning a World Cup or Copa America is incredibly difficult. He felt that in the past, their efforts were overlooked, with only the lack of a title being highlighted. This great player believes the most important thing is to feel satisfied with giving everything for the team, and he was grateful that the last final turned out differently.
Messi has already achieved what he imagined in his career, and it seems that he has no more goals when it comes to the future. The Argentinian will probably confirm his retirement from football in the near future.
English (US)