Smiling and calm. With the confidence that comes from embracing maturity and being still essential on the pitch, Leo Messi appeared before the media one day before making his debut against Saudi Arabia in his fifth World Cup. His last chance to achieve what he considers "a dream" and that he arrives in a "moment of happiness". Which is also complemented by a great physical state. The Rosario star took advantage of the occasion to clear up doubts about the state of his ankle and reassure all the fans who pay attention to him, in this World Cup much more than is usual.
Few times a team will receive so much support, from Qatar and throughout the globe, as Argentina does in this edition. Half the world hopes that the last football genius will finally lift the World Cup. “It is something beautiful that many people who are not Argentine want Argentina to be champion in large part because of me. I am grateful for my sports career and it makes me happy that many people want the same thing as me, "said ten.
"I feel very good physically," Messi reassured. I arrive at a great moment both personally and physically. I have no problem. The ankle thing was a blow, but nothing unusual, ”he confirmed. He further denied having made any “special preparation. It's a different time in the season, with fewer games racked up. I did not do anything special. I took care of myself and worked like in my entire career. It is a special moment because it is my last World Cup and my last chance to achieve my dream and the one we all want, ”he confirmed.
The recent victories, especially in the Copa América, mean that the usual nervousness of the Argentine team has been diluted on this occasion, something key for the captain of the albiceleste: "I don't know if we arrived better than other times, but we come from winning and that decompresses a lot, gives peace of mind and allows you to work without so much anxiety. It makes people not be aware of the results and enjoy the moment of the selection, ”he confirmed.
At 35 years old and four World Cups behind him, Messi is no longer the kid who only thought about playing and scoring, winning and playing again. He has learned to take the necessary distance to enjoy from other angles. Maturity has embraced the Argentine genius and he himself is aware of the evolution he has undergone. “I don't know if it's the happiest moment of my career, but I feel very good. But this World Cup catches me mature and I try to enjoy every moment with the maximum intensity. Take advantage of every moment and every game. Today I think I enjoy all this more. I didn't think about it before, I enjoyed playing, but it was all very often and I didn't have time to enjoy it very much. I thought about the next game, about continuing to win. Sometimes very important things went unnoticed and today I am more aware of that”, said the man from Rosario.
“Age makes you see things differently and give importance to small details. Today I pay much more attention to all that. Today the enjoyment of anything is above ”, she concluded.
