🚨Jorge Jesus on Cristiano Ronaldo’s role for Portugal against Denmark:
🗣️ Jorge Jesus: “I respect Cristiano Ronaldo enormously, but respect does not mean he has to be the main character every time Portugal plays. Cristiano is 41 now. He is not the same player he was at 25, 28 or even 32, and pretending otherwise would be unfair to him and unfair to the team. I didn’t call him up because I believe Portugal must play every match around him. I called him because he still has experience, personality and a level of leadership that can be valuable to this group.
“But against Denmark, if I need players to press for 90 minutes, run behind the defence, recover the ball and constantly change positions, I will choose the players who can give me that today. I am not going to put Cristiano on the pitch simply because his name is Ronaldo. That would be managing the reputation of a player rather than managing the national team. If I need him for 20 minutes, he plays 20. If I need him for 30, he plays 30. And if I don’t need him, he can sit beside me and help the younger players understand what it means to represent Portugal.
“Cristiano has already had his time as the player everyone had to build around. He doesn’t need me to pretend otherwise. His greatest contribution now may not be scoring the winning goal or playing every minute. It may be walking into that dressing room, looking at the younger players and telling them what he learned after 20 years at the highest level. That is leadership too. I want him to understand that being important doesn’t always mean being on the pitch.
“And I know some people will be angry because they hear ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’ and immediately think he must play. But I cannot select a player because of his history. I select him because of what he can give me today. Cristiano gave Portugal extraordinary moments, but those moments belong to the past. Against Denmark, I need to win the match in the present. If that means Cristiano starts, he starts. If it means he sits, he sits. Portugal owes Cristiano respect, but Portugal owes the team the truth.”
🚨 Luis Figo on Cristiano Ronaldo’s feud with Jorge Jesus:
“Look, I respect Cristiano enormously. He has given so much to Portugal and has achieved things that are almost impossible to repeat.
But there is one thing I will always say: no player is bigger than the Portugal national team. Nobody.
Cristiano has to understand that sometimes it cannot be only about him. I saw some of his behaviour during his time at Manchester United, and there were moments when I felt the same thing — the situation became too much about the individual instead of the team.
When you represent Portugal, you have a responsibility. You have to put the badge first, the team first, and your personal disagreements second.
I respect Cristiano, I respect his mentality, and I respect everything he has accomplished. But respect also means being honest with someone.
He needs to change in certain situations. He cannot allow disagreements with a coach, a teammate or anyone else to become bigger than the national team.
Portugal needs Cristiano, but Portugal also needs Cristiano to understand that the shirt comes before every individual.”
🚨🎙️ LIONEL MESSI: After the final, it was true that I cried. But it wasn’t because I lost. I cried because the fans couldn’t stop chanting my name.
I remain a world champion and nothing will ever erase that.
Me duele aceptarlo, pero sin el FC Barcelona, España tendría 0 Copas del Mundo.
Y Argentina tendría una menos.
La Masía es el semillero de futbol más importante del mundo, sin lugar a dudas.
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini es el único jugador de la historia al cual siempre se le exigió estar al nivel de generaciones pasadas (Maradona, Pelé) y a las generaciones futuras (Mbappé, Haaland).
Y nunca falló, siempre fue mejor.
Son las 10 de la noche acá en New York, la hinchada argentina lleva desde las dos de la tarde alentando sin parar.
No hay comparación con nada en el mundo. Por la última de Leo.
Hay que ser un gran imbécil para afirmar que a Messi le han ayudado los árbitros…
Métanse con quién quieran, menos con el mejor futbolista de la historia…
Sir Alex Ferguson sobre las actuaciones de Lionel Messi en la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026.
🗣️ “He pasado toda mi vida viendo fútbol. He dirigido contra los mejores jugadores, he entrenado a algunos de los mejores y he presenciado generaciones de talento. Pero lo que Lionel Messi está haciendo a los 39 años está más allá de cualquier cosa que haya visto jamás.”
“La mayoría de los jugadores a esa edad están retirados hace tiempo o luchando por seguir el ritmo del juego moderno. ¿Messi? Él está llevando a Argentina a otra final de la Copa Mundial. No está sobreviviendo, está dominando. Esa es la diferencia.”
“La gente sigue preguntando cómo lo sigue haciendo. La respuesta es simple: su cerebro futbolístico está décadas por delante de todos los demás. Ya no necesita correr más rápido que tú porque ya ha visto los próximos tres pases antes de que hayas dado tu primer paso.”
“Mira este torneo. Cada vez que Argentina necesitaba que alguien diera un paso al frente, Messi respondió. Cuando estaban bajo presión, él exigió el balón. Cuando Inglaterra pensó que tenía un pie en la final, Messi cambió completamente el partido con dos asistencias espectaculares. Así es como se ve la grandeza.”
“Puedes organizar tu defensa perfectamente, asignar dos o tres jugadores para marcarlo y pasar meses analizando cada movimiento que hace. Nada de eso garantiza nada porque él solo necesita un segundo para destruir noventa minutos de trabajo duro.”
“Lo que más me asombra no es la habilidad, es la mentalidad. Cuanto mayor es la ocasión, más tranquilo se vuelve. Mientras todos los demás sienten el peso de una Copa Mundial, Messi juega como si hubiera nacido para estos momentos. Por eso sigue rompiendo corazones y haciendo historia.”
“Voy a decir algo que a algunas personas no les va a gustar, pero no me importa. Nunca veremos a otro futbolista como Lionel Messi. Cuando se retire, una era del fútbol se retira con él. Los jugadores ganarán Balones de Oro, marcarán cientos de goles y levantarán trofeos, pero nadie combinará genio, consistencia, longevidad y humildad de la manera en que él lo ha hecho.”
“Disfruten cada minuto que aún está en el campo, porque cuando Lionel Messi se aleje del fútbol, el juego perderá un pequeño pedazo de su alma. Habrá grandes jugadores después de él, pero nunca habrá otro Lionel Messi.
Diego Simeone on Lionel Messi leading Argentina past England into the World Cup Final.
🎙️ Reporter: “Diego, once again Lionel Messi has carried Argentina on the biggest stage. How does he keep doing it?”
🗣️ Diego Simeone:
“Because pressure doesn’t break Lionel Messi it obeys him. When the entire stadium is shaking, when millions of Argentines can barely breathe, Messi becomes the calmest man on the pitch. That’s why he’s different.”
“England threw everything at Argentina. They pressed, they fought, they believed they could stop him. But the cruel reality is this: you can chase Messi for 90 minutes and he’ll still find the two seconds that destroy your entire game. That’s exactly what he did tonight. Two assists. Two moments. One ticket to another World Cup final.”
“People will talk about those passes for years, but they still won’t understand them. Those weren’t ordinary assists they were acts of genius. He sees spaces that don’t exist for anyone else. By the time defenders realise what’s happening, Argentina are already celebrating.”
“The biggest thing Messi gives Argentina isn’t goals or assists. It’s belief. The second he touches the ball, eleven Argentine players suddenly believe they’re unstoppable. The crowd believes. The country believes. That’s the power of a true leader.”
“And let’s stop pretending this is normal. A 39-year-old should not be deciding World Cup semi-finals against one of the strongest teams on the planet. Yet here he is again, carrying an entire nation on his shoulders without asking for sympathy, without making excuses, just producing magic when it matters most.”
“I’ve always admired warriors, and Lionel Messi is the greatest warrior football has ever produced. He doesn’t scream. He doesn’t need to. He lets the ball speak, and when it does, the whole football world falls silent.”
“Every generation waits for a player who can make a nation dream. Argentina didn’t just find one they found Lionel Messi. And tonight, once again, he rescued an entire country. If that’s not greatness, then greatness doesn’t exist.”
Ningún equipo en la historia ha jugado tantos partidos para llegar a una final.
Messi sólo ha descansado 60 minutos.
Lleva 7 goles y 4 asistencias.
Tiene 39 años
Hay quién duda de si es el mejor de la historia.
MESSI JUGARÁ UN 7MO MUNDIAL
Pep Guardiola on Lionel Messi’s masterclass against England.
🗣️ “People keep asking me how Messi is still doing this at 39 years old. My answer is simple because football has never seen anyone like him. Age defeats everyone, but somehow it refuses to defeat Lionel Messi. What he did tonight was beyond football… it was art.”
“England didn’t play against an old player. They played against the greatest mind this sport has ever produced. Two assists in a World Cup semi-final, controlling the rhythm of the biggest match on earth as if he were playing in his backyard. That is not normal. It is impossible to teach.”
“I’ve stood on the touchline and watched Leo do things that left me speechless. Tonight, sitting at home, he made me feel exactly the same. Every touch had purpose. Every pass carried danger. Every decision was perfect. He didn’t run the most but he made everyone else run for him.”
“The frightening part is that he no longer needs his young legs. His football brain is ten seconds ahead of everyone else. By the time defenders realise what is happening, the ball is already in the back of the net or a teammate is celebrating. That’s genius. Pure genius.”
“People obsess over goals, but tonight Messi reminded the world that football is about creating moments no one else can imagine. Two assists that changed a nation’s history. Two passes that carried Argentina into another World Cup final. That is the definition of greatness.”
“At 39, most legends are sitting in television studios talking about football. Messi is still writing football history. He isn’t surviving at this level he’s dominating it. That’s why I will always say there has never been, and there will never be, another player like Lionel Messi.”
“When this World Cup is over, don’t just remember the trophies or the statistics. Remember that you witnessed a 39-year-old genius walk into a World Cup semi-final against one of the strongest teams in the world… and make them look ordinary. We are watching the final chapters of the greatest football story ever written.”