Asked about that moment, Messi explained: “I don’t know how to explain in words what I felt at that moment. When I saw the Cup there, I hadn’t thought of that reaction. It was to see it and go because it was so close, it came from inside me to approach it, touch it , kiss her. And it was an enormous emotion to be able to say that’s it, we can grab, touch. She left without thinking because she had not seen her before going up. It was in passing that I saw her”.
And he added: “After so much time in the National Team, from previous World Cups, having been so close also in 2014, having seen her there passing so close without being able to do what I did in this last one. Behind this there was a lot of sacrifice, a lot of defeat, a lot of hard times, which I had to go through. It was a beautiful situation.”
Then Messi left the door open to be in the National Team in the 2026 World Cupalthough he acknowledged that “it seems difficult, due to age, physically” and pointed out that the squad had “exemplary behavior” in the ecumenical conquest in Qatar 2022.
Messi He opened up about the 2026 World Cup by stating: “I don’t know if I’m going to be there, I always said that because of my age it seems difficult for me to arrive, I love himOr what do I do and while I’m fine and continue to enjoy? but it seems like a lot until next World Cup”.
“I leave the door open, but due to age and time it seems to me that it is difficult, it depends on how my career is going, I am going to see where my career is going”added the Rosario.
On the differentiation that is made about their celebration in the World Cup matches and the behavior of the rest of the squad, “Lio” in an interview in Paris on the web and on the twitch of the newspaper Olé, pointed out: “It seems unfair to me the idea that Argentina did not celebrate well, we had an exemplary behavior, on and off the field”.
“We had a lot of fair play. Nobody says what happened to Holland (Netherlands), from what they said before the game, they didn’t have fair play, they rushed us, yelled at us, rebuked us, told us everything throughout the game , the players told us things when we were going to kick the penalties. Those who speak have to see the whole movie,” he added.
Before the game with the Netherlands, “I read what coach (Louis) Van Gaal said and it bothered me, because I never disrespect anyone, I spoke with great respect about him. I didn’t like what he did and that’s why the game came out. Topo Gigio, it was without thinking,” said the Paris Saint Germain player.
On the phrase “go there, fool”, addressed to a Dutch footballer, Messi recounted: “Today after everything that happened, I don’t like to see myself like that, and I don’t like that it goes viral. It was a reaction without Think about it, it was a hot moment.”
“I know that this phrase is used by everyone in Argentina, that there are memes, stickers, tattoos and t-shirts, even my children spend me with that phrase when I tell them something they don’t like. But I don’t like to see myself portrayed like that”he added.
Regarding the renewal of the contract of lionel scaloni, Messi He said he was “watching” the issue and that he wants him to “sign and continue”, although he acknowledged that “whatever his decision is, it will be understandable to me.”
“Scaloni must weigh many things, he is a family man and that must weigh, because I am clear that if things go wrong in the next Copa América, they are going to start hitting us again, they are going to hit him. I told Tapia that I want Scaloni to continue and I told Scaloni, but there are many human issues that he has to weigh,” he said.
The man from Rosario pointed out that the coach “is a very important person for the team and for this group that is growing with him, it is a young group and the good thing is to continue with him.”
About DT, he stressed that he marked it “when preparing the matches. He prepares the matches very well, we were always protagonists, but the coaching staff always provided a small nuance so that we could press better and quickly have the ball. We were difficult for hurt us when we didn’t have the ball. He prepared each game in a phenomenal way, we knew what we had to do with and without the ball”.
As for winning the World Cup, Messi was honest: “I really wanted that moment, after so much time in the national team, having been so close also in 2014, without being able to do what I did in the latter, there was a lot of sacrifice, a lot of defeat, many hard moments that I had to go through”.
“I don’t know why all the people wanted me to be champion, I think because people saw everything I fought to try to achieve that goal, because what I had already experienced with the national team seemed unfair to people, of much demand, of a lot of journalist killing me ugly, there were people who love me and who saw what I tried to give”, continued the “Flea”.
At this point he pointed out that “the entire World Cup was incredible, beyond the personal. How I lived it and how I enjoyed it, things were happening unintentionally. We said with my family that it had to be like this, that it was the end of a film that had to end with a happy ending. I was sure that God was going to give me a World Cup, I felt it very strongly and the moment he chose was the best, I would not have chosen another, ending like this is great”.
Winning the World Cup “is what I was looking for all my career, it was what I was missing and the most someone wanted. It was like closing everything, being able to finish everything, being able to say that I won everything in my career, it’s crazy.”
Regarding how he handled the nerves in the matches, Messi admitted that he was “very calm in the final”.
“I don’t know why, but I felt that we were going to be champions. Not even in the 3-3 game (with France) was I afraid. In the Netherlands I was afraid, when they score the second goal with that play prepared, I thought it couldn’t be, but then we won it well. I always felt that this World Cup was going to be,” he said.
“I don’t remember at the national team level, a final at such a level. I think we had a terrific game, it’s not the first time we’ve done this, but since it’s the World Cup final and playing against France, it’s bigger, but we’ve done many matches like that, but they didn’t have the significance of this one,” he continued.
Finally, regarding the save by Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez against the French striker Kolo Muani, Messi indicated that “it was so fast that I couldn’t live it, because a counterattack from us came immediately that ended with a header from Lautaro that made us intervene (Hugo) Lloris. It was all so fast that I didn’t have time to suffer it. Then I saw it in videos and I couldn’t believe it, I suffer every time I see it in the videos.”
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
