It will be a special match for Lionel Scaloni. Beyond being their second consecutive World Cup final, an incredible achievement within the reach of very few in history, The friendship that unites him with Luis De la Fuente was a leading part of the previous… also that he lives in Spain and his family is from our country. He spoke about it before the game, at a press conference.
Hug with De la Fuente. “I won’t say what I told him because we were in a surreal situation there, in the middle of nowhere… I told him I was coming for him, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone. And other things that I won’t tell you. What worries me most about Spain? That the bus leaves the hotel already worries me. It’s a great team, a great selection. They’ve been having a very good time with Luis, it makes me happy.”
What worries me most about Spain? That the bus leaves the hotel already worries me
Messi’s last World Cup? “What do I know? You have to ask him. I have no idea… because it never ceases to surprise. It’s a question for him.”
When Messi told him ‘pure history’ after beating England. “Pure history is him. History, legend… that he can say that, that it comes out of his mouth… fills me with pride. That the best footballer the world has ever seen thinks that, is wonderful. Reaching a final, at 39 years old, I think is something incredible. That’s why when I said that we enjoy it, we have to value it, what he does… the history and the legend is him, and this whole group of players who have led us to some wonderful years. That although people believe that the footballer Argentine can do it, achieving it is very difficult. I told them in a talk: that what they have done is incredible. Eternal gratitude from the coaching staff. I hope we win, but if they don’t win, it has been an incredible example for everyone.
I hope we win, but if we don’t win the road has been incredible
Play against Spain. “Yes, we analyzed them because we could play in March… but no more than others, we also analyzed the rest of the rivals in the World Cup since December. There were a lot of rivals that we analyzed for possible duels. And over-analysis is not good either. We know how they play, we know their virtues and we will try to prevent them from carrying them out.”
The experience. “Spain also has players who have played on big stages, who are top players on their teams… this pressure thing and all that, when the ball starts rolling the player forgets. I don’t think it’s a handicap. These are two teams that when they go out on the field try to do their best with the ball.”
Spain also has players who have played on big stages, who are tops on their teams…
Similarities between Spain and Argentina. “Luis knows me as a person… but he doesn’t know what I think about football. If we know how our teams play, we haven’t talked about each team’s patterns. Each team has nuances but there is a pattern of attacking through the ball. We have similar patterns, we become strong with possession… in that it is true that we are similar. Let’s hope that Sunday is a good show.”
The passion remains. “You see your people the way they celebrate, you see how they are happy… that reaches you and it is impossible for it not to touch your heart. In the end, I have already said it, we play for them. We play for our people, for our families. For those people who are waiting to see the National Team. We have recovered something that I think is very valuable: that people stand in front of the television in front of them with the Argentina shirt and a River fan hugs a Boca fan. We are sorry, we take it into account, of course It’s going to move you.”
You see your people the way they celebrate, you see how happy they are… that gets to you.
The moment. “I think the team has had positive things, the last few games especially. The second half with England is very good. I think we are rather beyond some things that need to be improved, as always. We will try to win the final.”
Another final. “We prepare in the same way that we prepare for every game. We really want to do well, with a willingness to analyze the opponent, see what we can do during the game… beyond the fact that it is a final, it is a football match. We need to get our best version to be able to win. We don’t put it in our heads that it is a World Cup final because if not you can deviate. We’ll see what happens.”
