🚨🗣️New: Lionel Messi on why he started crying after receiving the silver medal despite the World Cup final defeat to Spain:
“I wasn’t just thinking about losing a final. I was thinking about everything that brought me here… every sacrifice, every difficult moment, every time people doubted us, and every time this shirt gave me the strength to continue.
“When I heard the Argentina fans chanting my name after the defeat, that was the moment that broke me. We had just lost the biggest game, but they didn’t turn their backs on us. They didn’t see a silver medal… they saw the journey. They saw the heart, the fight, and the pride we gave them.
“I looked into the stands and I saw families who travelled thousands of miles, people who dreamed with us, people who cried with us. That love is bigger than any trophy. Football gives you many victories, but moments like that remind you why you play.
“I cried because I felt the weight of the shirt, the love of my country, and the responsibility of wearing this badge. A medal can be silver, but the memories, the connection with the people, and the pride of representing Argentina… those things are priceless.
“Sometimes football gives you the perfect ending, and sometimes it gives you a painful chapter. But I learned that greatness is not only measured by lifting trophies. It is also measured by how you stand when your heart is broken.
“And hearing Argentina sing my name after losing a World Cup final… that was a victory of another kind. I will carry that moment with me forever.”
—🎙️Mixed Zone
2021 - Copa América
2022 - Finalissima
2022 - Copa Mundial
2024 - Bicampeones Copa América
2026 - Sub campeones del mundo
Gracias Selección, Gracias Argentina 🇦🇷
Thomas Tuchel on Lionel Messi’s masterclass against England.
🗣️ “I’ve coached against some of the greatest footballers in history, but nights like this remind you why Lionel Messi is different. We prepared for him all week. We had plans, we had markers, we had instructions… and none of it was enough. He punished us with two moments of absolute genius.”
“You can stop him for 85 minutes, but Messi only needs five seconds to destroy everything you’ve built. That’s what happened tonight. Two assists, no panic, no wasted movement just pure football intelligence. He doesn’t force the game. He waits… and when you make one mistake, you’re dead.”
“I was shouting from the touchline because I knew the danger every time he received the ball. My players knew it too. Yet knowing what Messi is capable of and actually stopping him are two completely different things. He sees passes that nobody else in world football even imagines.”
“People talk about speed and strength. Messi doesn’t need either. His brain is faster than every defender on the pitch. He dictates the tempo, manipulates space and tears teams apart without looking like he’s trying. That is what true greatness looks like.”
“As painful as this defeat is for England, I refuse to lie. We were beaten by a footballer who continues to redefine the game at 39 years old. Two assists in a World Cup semi-final, carrying his country into another final… that’s not normal. That’s history unfolding in front of your eyes.”
“Sometimes, as a coach, you have to accept an uncomfortable truth. We didn’t just lose to Argentina we lost to Lionel Messi. And if he plays the final like he played tonight, the rest of the world should be very worried.”
⚽ EDUARDO FEINMANN: "DEMOSTRAMOS QUE PODEMOS GANAR CON LOS PIES"
"Hace años que nos vienen facturando el ganar con la mano".
🗣️ @edufeiok
👉 Seguí en #ElNoticieroDeA24
📺 https://t.co/3gt6dzr3tG
¡¡¡LAUTORO!!! ¡¡¡GOLAZO AGÓNICO DE CABEZA DE LAUTARO MARTÍNEZ PARA EL 2-1 DE ARGENTINA VS. INGLATERRA!!!
⚽ #ESPNMundial
📺 Mirá los mejores partidos de la #FIFAWorldCup por ESPN, en el Plan Premium de #DisneyPlus
🚨🎙️ ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ ON LIONEL MESSI'S INFLUENCE ON ARGENTINA AFTER THEIR WIN OVER AUSTRIA:
“I'm obsessed with watching Messi.
Not because he's my friend.
Not because of nostalgia.
Because after all these years, I'm still trying to understand how one player can control a football match without touching the ball every minute.
I watched Argentina today and the first thing I noticed wasn't the scoreline.
It was the way Austria reacted whenever Messi moved.
One step to the left, defenders follow.
One drop into midfield, the entire shape changes.
One glance over his shoulder panic.
That's not football.
That's psychological warfare.
And that's why I laugh when people reduce him to goals and assists.
They don't understand what they're watching.
Messi isn't just Argentina's best player.
He's Argentina's system.
He's their confidence.
He's their belief.
He's the reason every teammate walks onto the pitch thinking the impossible is possible.
People ask me about the GOAT debate.
What debate?
Seriously.
What debate?
For me, there isn't one.
The debate exists because television needs content and social media needs arguments.
When I watch football, I don't see a debate.
I see Messi.
Then I see everybody else.
That doesn't mean other legends weren't incredible.
It means I've never seen another player influence a match, a team and an entire generation of football the way Messi has.
And today was another reminder.
He didn't need a hat-trick.
He didn't need to score from 40 yards.
He just needed to be Lionel Messi.
And suddenly Argentina looked like a completely different team.
That's greatness.
Not when everything depends on you.
When everybody becomes better because you're there.
I've played against great players.
I've played with great players.
But Messi is the only player I've ever watched and genuinely thought:
'This isn't normal.'
The scary thing?
Opponents know exactly what he's going to do.
And they still can't stop it.
That's why I don't waste my time with comparisons anymore.
Some players become legends.
Some players become icons.
Messi became a category of his own.
And after today's performance, if you're still asking me who the greatest footballer of all time is...
You're asking the wrong question.
The right question is:
Will football ever produce another one like him?”
Vladimir Petković on Lionel Messi’s masterclass against Algeria in Argentina’s World Cup opener:
🗣️ “We came into this match with a plan, with discipline, with belief… but sometimes football puts you against a player who can destroy even the best preparation with a single touch of the ball.”
“What Lionel Messi produced tonight was not just a great performance, it was a football lesson delivered by one of the greatest minds and talents this sport has ever seen.”
“You tell your players to stay compact, stay focused, don't give him space… and then somehow he still finds a way to create magic where there should be none.”
“The most frustrating thing is that you can actually do many things right defensively and still end up suffering because he sees passes, movements, and opportunities that nobody else on the pitch can see.”
“At 38 years old, most players are talking about retirement, managing minutes, or slowing down. Messi is still deciding World Cup matches, breaking records, and making elite defenders look helpless.”
“I looked at my bench after his third goal and there was almost disbelief on everyone's face. Not because we were losing, but because we were witnessing something special that may never happen again.”
“People will talk about the hat-trick, the records, and the statistics, but what impressed me most was the authority. He controlled the match as if the game itself was moving at his pace.”
“I have coached against great players in my career, but tonight felt different. Tonight felt like football history stopping for ninety minutes to remind the world exactly who Lionel Messi is.”