‘Papu’ Gomez describes the reach of Leo Messi’s leadership

On his extended interview with La Nacion, ‘Papu’ Gomez also described the feeling of Leo Messi’s leadership in the Copa America.

Leo Messi wasn’t considered a leader before last summer’s Copa America, but ‘Papu’ Gomez got to finally experience this side of the PSG star. In fact, Messi was always criticized for not having that important factor other Argentine legends had in the past. Everything changed since the 2019 Copa America, when Messi started offering a new version of himself to Argentina. Two years later, he finally got to experience what it’s like to become a champion for his home country.

For ‘Papu’ Gomez, one of Leo’s speeches struck a chord in his very soul: “He began to speak before the final and the truth is that I don’t remember the exact words because in no time I was crying,” ‘Papu’ told La Nacion. “He spoke about effort, about family… tears were falling down my cheeks like a baby. Leo is the most normal and simple of us all, I can assure you that he’s the guy and teammate that everyone has the most in common with. But he carries the surname Messi, and many think that he’ll act differently.”

Papu Gómez cuenta la verdadera razón por la que se marchó de Atalanta. El día que Messi lo hizo llorar y la relación que construyó con Scaloni en la última temporada como futbolista del hoy DT de la Argentina https://t.co/gb9F81sFJm
Hoy, en @LANACION
— Cristian Grosso (@crgrosso) August 18, 2021

‘Papu’ describes Messi’s transfer to PSG.

Gomes continued: “Messi is an absolute leader, a captain in every sense, because he shows it, he leads by example. They always want to compare him to Diego [Maradona], they want him to shout and fight, Leo isn’t like that, but if he has to do that behind closed doors, he does it. What happens is that Leo isn’t going to ever bring it to light and he doesn’t talk for the sake of it, when he has to get angry or tell you something, he’ll tell you it and it stays within those four walls.

“Of course, his exit from Barcelona surprised me like everyone, it was a revolution for football, something historic that will always be remembered. Leo not being around gives the rest of us a chance, Leo alone won his team 15-20 points. With Leo you know that you’re always going to have a winning card, so if other teammates aren’t good, he can turn on and cause chaos. Barcelona will still be a top team, and Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid too, but if the number one isn’t around, the rest of us have a bit more of a chance.”