Carlos Tevez has admitted that he didn’t celebrate Argentina’s World Cup triumph and that he hasn’t spoken to Lionel Messi since the victory.
The former striker for Manchester United and Manchester City only declared his retirement from the game in June of last year.
He then entered management and was hired as the first-team coach of Argentine powerhouse Rosario Central, a position he has since resigned from.
Tevez last competed with Boca Juniors, scoring 22 goals in 66 league games before leaving his childhood team in June 2021.
That marked the end of a remarkable playing career that lasted more than 20 years, featured more than 300 club goals, and included stops in Argentina, Brazil, England, Italy, and China.
In 76 appearances for Argentina in international play, Tevez also scored 13 goals.
However, Tevez has now appeared to suggest he was not emotionally involved in Argentina’s World Cup triumph and hinted that he preferred France to beat his nation in the showpiece. He added that he had not yet reached out to Messi to congratulate him, despite having his contact details.
“I didn’t follow the World Cup in Qatar very closely but I saw France a lot, because it was a team that I liked,” Tevez – who last played for Argentina in 2015 – explained on Radio Mitre.
“I have not written to Messi because his phone must have been blown up. It makes me very happy that my children celebrated his goals.”
Tevez added about being outside of the world of football for the first time: “I don’t miss the world of Boca Juniors, nor that of football, because it exhausted me.”
He added: “As soon as I left Rosario Central, I received a call from Independiente, but I don’t have the need to go out and manage anything.
“Being a coach was a good experience, I loved it. The strategy part was what I liked the most. Now I’m enjoying the moments of life. I am with the family in the ranch that I have. I like to enjoy the affection of the people.”
In a playing career spanning two decades, Tevez won league titles in several different countries. He was a champion in Argentina and Brazil before moving to England, where he won the Premier League with Manchester United and Manchester City, adding a Champions League title with the former.
