Apple TV+ announces documentary series on Lionel Messi

The show is depicted as an official account of his experience with Argentina’s national team and his five FIFA World Cup appearances

Apple TV+ announced a new untitled four-part documentary series from Smuggler Entertainment, featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes access to global superstar Lionel Messi. 

Reportedly filmed in Paris, Qatar and Argentina, it tracks the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner through his five FIFA World Cup appearances and his 2022 win in Qatar, one of the most exciting finals in history. According to the Apple TV+ press release, Messi tells the definitive story of his career with Argentina’s national football team “in his own words”, an intimate look at his quest for a legacy-defining World Cup victory.

Just days before the tournament kicked off, Messi told the filmmakers that winning a World Cup to finish his career would be the ultimate experience. 

“I’ve daydreamed about it after many years of struggle. I’ve considered a million possibilities of how it could happen … the first match, the round of 16, the quarterfinals, the semifinal and the final. I’m also going to experience it as something special, because it’s my last one. To finish winning a World Cup would be a dream come true,” he added a few weeks before hoisting the trophy in front of a record-breaking world audience to finally earn his place in the sport’s pantheon.

The filmmakers followed Messi throughout the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, before, during and after winning the tournament. From Qatar’s training grounds to the chaos of press junkets and the silence of Messi’s private room, the series highlights a mash-up of the public and private worlds of the planet’s top living football player, as well as a view of his loyal supporters in Argentina and the world. 

The docuseries charts his path, starting with his first match with Argentina’s national team where he got a red card in his first minute on the field, his journey through several elusive World Cup, which led to his early retirement in 2016, and his ultimate comeback to win the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022 and becoming the tournament’s best player.

Messi and the Argentine team have already been the main stars in other recent documentary series. Netflix’s Sean eternos: Campeones de América (Be eternal: Champions of America, 2022) follows Argentina’s national team on its quest to win the 2021 Copa America, its first major tournament victory in more than 20 years. Amazon Prime’s Selección Argentina – Road to Qatar offers an intimate portrait of the national team starting at the Copa America and then following the players and coaching staff through the Finalissima against Italy and the path to the 2022 World Cup.

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