The World is a Ball: ‘I had sequelae in my lungs’, says Messi about Covid

Undoubtedly one of the best football players in history, Lionel Messi lived in 2021/2022 one of his less brilliant seasons.

His transition from Barcelona, ​​where he was the biggest idol of the club (for years), to Paris Saint-Germain was troubled, and in the French team, the Argentine, even with the company of Neymar and Mbappé, did not have great joys.

There was only one title won, that of the French Championship, which is considered an “obligation” for PSG, due to its financial abyss in relation to the competition.

And the goals scored were, when it comes to Messi, a misery: 11, six in France and five in the Champions League, a competition in which PSG once again got in the way – they fell in the round of 16 against Real Madrid, who later would become champion.

The striker accumulated physical problems that allowed him to be on the field only 34 times for the team. Since 2005/2006, when he started his career in Barcelona’s adult team, Messi, close to turning 35, hasn’t played so little.

Out of shape, and in the wake of the wear and tear of leaving Barça, who made little effort to keep him, which upset him greatly, Messi took almost a month to fully integrate into the PSG squad after his arrival.

And it was really hard to pick up the pace. From September to November, pain in his left knee, the one in his kicking leg, left him part of the time in the infirmary.

In December, at the time of the holidays, even though he had previously received doses of the vaccine, he contracted Covid.

There is a president of the Republic who said that the coronavirus does not cause more than “a little flu”. For many people, it may be that, especially after immunization by the vaccine, it is just that.

But it’s not 100% like that. For Messi, the effect of the disease was devastating, as PSG’s number 30 told TYC Sports, his country’s TV channel.

“The truth is [o coronavírus] hit me hard. I had symptoms similar to most: a lot of cough, sore throat, fever. But I had sequelae in my lungs. Couldn’t train. I was unable to run for a month and a half because my lungs were affected.”

Messi declared that the desire to return to play hastened his return and that this decision was not right. Mainly in relation to the short pikes, which are one of his characteristics.

“I wanted to run, train, start. I accelerated [o retorno], and it ended up hurting me. could not stand [fisicamente].”

The shock caused by Covid has shaken Messi psychologically, as he hoped to start 2022 with everything. “I intended to enter [no ano] looted, changed, the adaptation period had passed [ao clube]. Then came Covid.”

Messi spent almost the whole of January without playing, and, on his return, the reflexes of Covid did not allow him to be the usual Messi.

He scored a single goal for PSG from the end of January to the end of March, in ten matches, and suffered during that break, with a poor performance by his standards, the hard fall against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

In April and May, Messi showed signs of recovery, returning to high-level football.

After defending his country’s national team in the final, a match between Argentina (champion of the Copa América) and Italy (champion of the European Cup), he must take a vacation and prepare well for the 2022/2023 season, in which he will aim to win the Champions League with PSG and the World Cup title in Qatar.

Ideally, without the knee discomfort or the torment of Covid.