Two days before the biggest game on the planet, Lionel Messi was not sitting behind a microphone in a sterile press room. He was on a stage at Manhattan’s Javits Center, inside Fanatics Fest, while Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic, and Kevin Durant walked out one by one to ask him questions. Hundreds of fans packed the theater, phones raised like lighters at a concert. Messi smiled and waved, almost apologizing for the attention.
“We will give it our all,” Messi said. That was about as expansive as he got. He skipped the traditional captain’s press conference — goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez took his seat — and let the moment speak for itself. When Djokovic finished his question, he simply said, “Gracias, Leo.”
Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, pairs the defending champions against a Spain side that last lifted the trophy in 2010. Argentina is unbeaten at 7-0-0. Spain is 6-0-1, its only blemish an opening draw with Cape Verde. No team has won back-to-back World Cups since Pelé’s Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Only Italy, in 1934 and 1938, has done it otherwise. Argentina can join that club of two.
Their road was not a paved one. Argentina rallied from a 2-0 second-half hole against Egypt in the Round of 16, needed extra time to shake Cape Verde and Switzerland, and came from behind again to beat England 2-1 in the semifinal in Atlanta. Messi assisted on both goals in that semifinal. Argentina has scored 12 goals after the 75th minute in this tournament — the kind of late-game grit that reminds you the fourth quarter is where games are decided. The film doesn’t lie.
Messi, who turned 39 during the tournament, is tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot lead at eight goals, and holds the edge on the assists tiebreaker. He is the favorite to win the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player for a record third time. Whether Sunday is his last appearance in an Argentina shirt remains unconfirmed. He will continue his club career with Inter Miami regardless.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, asked if this is Messi’s farewell, said: “Ask him. I don’t have the foggiest idea. He doesn’t stop surprising us.” Then Scaloni let the reverence show. “He is pure history. A legend. Reaching a final at 39 years of age is unbelievable. We must enjoy him as it happens. With Diego [Maradona], we miss him. But Messi is still with us.”
Scaloni’s respect for Spain was equally unguarded. “If Spain leaves the hotel, I am already concerned,” he said. “Once they are on the bus and they leave the hotel, I am concerned. They are a great team. Everything concerns me about Spain.” He dismissed the idea that Argentina’s final experience gives them an edge, noting Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph and Nations League final appearances.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente confirmed 19-year-old winger Lamine Yamal is fit after a heavy knock in the semifinal against France. “He’s fine, there are no problems with him,” de la Fuente said. “We gave him a rest yesterday; today he’s been training with his teammates as normal.” He rejected comparisons between Yamal and Messi: “Lamine has to be Lamine. Messi is a one-of-a-kind player.”
The connection between the two runs deeper than a final. In 2007, Yamal’s family won a raffle for a photoshoot with Barcelona players. Messi, then 19, posed with a 3-month-old Yamal. The image has resurfaced everywhere this week. “Now we are facing each other,” Messi said. “What a crazy picture.” He added: “He is one of the best players in the world right now. He’s only 19 years old, and he has all of his future ahead.”
Spain captain Rodri called Messi the greatest of all time. “It goes beyond words what Messi means as a player and for Argentina,” he said.
Off the pitch, Argentina faces a FIFA disciplinary review. After the semifinal win over England, several players — including Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez — posed with a flag reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Falklands are Argentinian”). Fans and players sang songs linked to the Falklands conflict, and similar content appeared on the national team’s social media accounts. FIFA’s independent Disciplinary Committee is examining match reports and could levy fines up to $20,000 or player suspensions. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded: “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.”
Martínez, for his part, kept the focus on the 90 minutes ahead. “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,” he said. “Sunday is going to be a great show,” Scaloni added. The trophy case was nearby. Messi may have glanced at it on his way out.
Sources:
- Yahoo Sports / AP — Messi speaks in advance of World Cup final
- Yahoo Sports — Scaloni pays tribute to Messi before World Cup final
- Yahoo Sports — With the World Cup spotlight on him, Messi won’t make the final about himself
- Yahoo Sports / The Standard — FIFA to investigate Argentina over ‘Malvinas’ flag
- Yahoo Sports — De la Fuente delivers Lamine Yamal fitness update
- Yahoo Sports / Sporting News — Messi may be entering his last World Cup game