Lionel Messi says Argentina will give it everything in World Cup final
Lionel Messi said Argentina will "give it our all" against Spain in Sunday's FIFA World Cup final. Speaking at Fanatics Fest in New York, the Argentine captain expressed confidence as the defending champions chase a second successive World Cup title.
New York: The lineup of sports legends simultaneously on the stage at Fanatics Fest on Friday night was almost absurd. There was Tom Brady, the greatest Super Bowl champion of all time. There was Novak Djokovic, the winner of more men’s Grand Slam tennis titles than anyone else. There was Kevin Durant, the only four-time Olympic gold medallist in men’s basketball history.
And before they left, they all got a selfie with Lionel Messi.
Let that be the latest proof of Messi’s power. Even the biggest stars in the sports world clearly enjoy the chance to be around the greatest footballer of all time. They will all be watching on Sunday, along with probably 1.5 billion other people worldwide, when Messi and Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final.
“We will give it our all,” Messi said.
The star-studded news conference was expected to be Messi’s last public appearance before Sunday’s final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. FIFA decided to use Fanatics Fest, a four-day celebration of sports in New York featuring autograph signings and celebrity appearances, as the backdrop for its preview news conferences, giving hundreds of people the chance to catch a glimpse of Messi in a setting not usually open to the public.
“It goes beyond words what Messi means as a player and what he means for Argentina,” Spain captain Rodri said. “Obviously, for me, he’s the greatest of all time.”
The idea behind the appearance by Messi and the other players and coaches from Argentina and Spain was simple. Instead of having traditional media asking questions, the stars got to do the asking.
Brady asked Messi about a remarkable photo that has gone viral this week of him bathing a baby boy who grew up to become Spain star Lamine Yamal.
“What a crazy picture,” Messi said.
Djokovic asked Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni about dealing with pressure, then posed a version of the same question to Messi.
And when Messi finished, Djokovic simply said, “Gracias, Leo.”
Djokovic then asked Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and captain Rodri about staying calm in big moments, before Brady asked Messi about the now-famous photo with Yamal, and Rodri about what he would say to his teammates before Sunday’s final. Durant then came out, asking Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez what it would mean to win back-to-back World Cups.
The Argentina and Spain sides, to their credit, seemed to enjoy the show. The World Cup final is a spectacle, and so was the preview event.
“It’s one more game,” Scaloni said. “We cannot really think about the fact that it’s a World Cup final.”
It was not the easiest road for Argentina to reach the final, even though the defending champions (7-0-0) are the only unbeaten team left in the tournament. Spain (6-0-1) drew its opening match against Cape Verde.
Argentina had to rally from a 1-0 second-half deficit to beat England in the semifinals, recover from a 2-0 second-half deficit to beat Egypt in the Round of 16, and were taken to extra time by both Cape Verde (in the Round of 32) and Switzerland (in the quarterfinals).
“I’ve said many times: We never stop fighting,” Messi said.
With that, the defending champions booked their place in New York. When Messi walked onto the stage on Friday, not many of those packed inside the theatre applauded because they were holding up their phones, hoping to capture the moment.
Messi knew what they wanted. He smiled and waved. They roared.
When the event wrapped up, everyone – the players, the coaches, actor and comedian Kevin Hart, rapper and producer Travis Scott, England great Rio Ferdinand, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and more – gathered for a selfie with the fans in the background.
“Sunday is going to be a great show,” Scaloni said.
It seemed Messi may have taken a quick look at the case holding the trophy before he departed. Either way, it is not like he needs a reminder of what is at stake. No team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and Messi now has a chance to add one more achievement to his already remarkable career.
“We’ve got a group of players and a group of coaches that are working incredibly hard every single day to try to bring happiness to my country,” Martinez said. “We’re going to give absolutely our best, with Leo, with the team that we have, to bring the World Cup back to my country and celebrate with our people.”
