Victoria Granatto, a member of Las Leonas, champions of the 2026 World Hockey Championship in the Netherlands, decided to speak out publicly after the controversy generated by her comments about Lionel Messi.
The forward had spoken in an interview about the message that the captain of the Argentine national football team, Lionel Messi, had sent to the players to congratulate them on the title. In that context, she questioned the importance that some of her teammates placed on the footballer's greeting and highlighted the legacy of the great figures of Argentine hockey.
“It bothers me. Sorry. All good with the football team, but it seems like everyone wanted Messi to greet them. Girls, it's Messi, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that we have Lucha (Luciana Aymar), Mechi (Mercedes Margalot). Our history is much more,” she had expressed.
Her statements had a strong impact on social media. Days later, Granatto set her Instagram account to private and later posted a message to explain her position.
Granatto stated that her words were taken out of context
In her defense, the player maintained that a phrase from that interview was spread without considering the full context of the conversation.
