Playing for Spain was never something I considered, says Messi
Buenos Aires, May 29: Argentina skipper Lionel Messi said not for a minute did he ever think of playing for the Spanish national football team, despite having been tempted at times, and added that to be champion of the 2018 Russia World Cup playing for his native country would be a unique experience.
"The other day I was talking to a friend and he told me, 'Look, if you had stayed with Spain, you'd already be world champ,'" Messi, who has had Spanish nationality since 2005, said with a laugh during an interview on Argentina's Channel 13, reported Efe.
As he told it, when he was "15 or 16 years old," the coach of the Spanish national under-17 football squad, "half joking, half seriously," offered him a place on the team.
"But not for a minute did I have any doubts," Messi said, convinced that, if he had played with Spain in 2010 and won the South Africa World Cup with that team, "it wouldn't have been the same" as winning it with the team from the land of his birth.
While a teenager, Messi left his native Rosario to begin in the lower ranks of FC Barcelona, where he was provided with hormonal growth treatment and where he has had innumerable triumphs.
For that reason he said he was sure that, if he continues playing in Europe in the future, it will not be with any other team but the one where he has spent his entire career.
"I'm more certain every day that Europe will be my only place. But I've always said I hoped to play football in Argentina someday, though I don't know if that will happen...but I keep it in mind," he said.
Before settling in Spain, Messi trained with Newell's Old Boys in Rosario, the team with which he would like to play if he ever goes back to live in Argentina.
"Being champion with Argentina would be something unique," Messi said.
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UP: Govt hospital staff booked for sexually assaulting woman in pretext of ultrasound test
Gorakhpur (PTI): A hospital employee was booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in the pretext of an ultrasound test here in the district women's hospital, police said on Saturday.
According to the complaint, the woman, a resident of the Gulriha area, visited the district women's hospital on Thursday morning for an ultrasound test.
She was directed to a room, where Abhimanyu Gupta was conducting ultrasounds. When her turn came, the accused allegedly stared at her and told her to remove all her clothes, claiming it was necessary for the test and that a massage would also be required, she said.
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The woman alleged that once she complied, the accused began making obscene advances and tried to force himself on her. When she screamed, he allegedly gagged her, abused her and threatened to kill her before pushing her out of the room.
She said her complaints within the hospital went unheard, forcing her to approach the police.
Taking cognisance of the complaint, the hospital administration constituted a three-member inquiry committee, officials said.
Senior consultant (paediatrics) Dr Jay Kumar said, "The woman has levelled serious allegations against a staff member. Senior officials have been informed, and a departmental inquiry is underway. Strict action will be taken if the charges are proved."
Kotwali Station House Officer Chatrapal Singh said a case has been registered, and efforts are on to nab the accused.
