Why did Pele want Lionel Messi and Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup?
Pele’s daughter reveals that he wanted Argentina to lift the World Cup after Brazil’s elimination
The legendary Brazilian, Pele, passed away at the age of 82 on December 29, 2022, after battling Cancer. He made sure he watched the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar surrounded by his family and in palliative care.
Pele’s own Brazil got knocked out at the hands of Croatia on penalties in the quarter-final. Advancing would have meant they faced Messi’s Argentina.
Kely Nascimento, Pele’s daughter shared a story about her father on Instagram when she met Antonella Roccuzzo, Messi’s wife.
Pele’s message for Messi
Nascimento wrote: “Storytime: This is the very beautiful and graceful Antonella Roccuzzo, Messi’s wife.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Messi so when I met her in that magical place of every party (the ladies’ room) I passed him a message through her.
“By the time Brazil lost against Croatia, my dad was getting a lot worse. Everybody wanted Brazil to win this cup for my dad, nobody more than the national team! But my father understood better than most what football is like. And it was really this possibility that any team could win that he always talked about and that he loved about this beautiful game.
“After the defeat of Brazil, every person who entered that hospital room (all day and every day until the final!!!) said: “Hey Pele? Now, who do you want? Of course, Argentina NO! And he would say “Argentina yes! This cup has to stay in South America and Messi deserves it!
“Everyone was pretending (and sometimes not pretending) horror!!! HOW?! Argentina!!!?
“And he would simply say ‘yes, Messi deserves it’.He wasn’t getting to watch TV in the final anymore, but he understood that Argentina won and Messi got to lift the cup, and he was happy.
“Long live football.”
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