Zinedine Zidane sobre Lionel Messi, entre lágrimas tras la final del Mundial.
🗣️ “Ver a Leo Messi llorar me rompe el corazón. El fútbol puede ser increíblemente hermoso, pero también despiadado. Hoy no veo a un jugador derrotado; veo a un hombre que entregó absolutamente todo por su país una vez más.”
“Es fácil celebrar a las leyendas cuando levantan un trofeo, pero las verdaderas leyendas también se reconocen en sus lágrimas. Perder otra final del Mundial deja una herida que nunca desaparece del todo. Solo quienes han vivido ese nivel de presión entienden ese dolor.”
“Habrá quienes recuerden el resultado, pero yo recordaré el coraje. Messi volvió a cargar con el peso de toda una nación sobre sus hombros y luchó hasta el último segundo. Eso merece respeto, no críticas.”
“Leo, levanta la cabeza. Ninguna derrota puede borrar lo que has significado para el fútbol. Hoy lloras porque amas este deporte más que nadie. Y precisamente por eso, millones de personas en todo el mundo lloran contigo. Tu legado jamás será definido por una sola noche, sino por toda una vida haciendo feliz al fútbol.”
🚨 Zlatan Ibrahimović on Lionel Messi not winning the World Cup Golden Ball:
🗣️: “What else did Messi have to do to win it? I genuinely don’t understand the criteria anymore. If you look back at 2018, Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball without winning the World Cup. So what changed now?
“Messi carried Argentina throughout the tournament, delivered when it mattered most, and was once again the player everyone feared. If that wasn’t enough, then tell me what is.
“It feels like the standards are always different when it comes to Messi. Every other player gets judged one way, but with him, people suddenly move the goalposts. It’s always against Messi.
“I’m happy for Rodri, but from a football perspective, I don’t think anyone had a stronger case than Messi.”
They spent years calling Messi “FIFA’s boy.” But when a 39-year-old Messi—who can no longer run endlessly or press like he once did—still scored, assisted, created chances, controlled games, and carried Argentina to another World Cup final, suddenly the standards changed.
If Rodri wins the Golden Ball after a tournament where he barely decided games, then what more was Messi supposed to do? He scored, assisted, led his nation again, and was the defining player of the tournament.
The World Cup Golden Ball is supposed to reward the player who defines the tournament. For me, that player was Lionel Messi.
Ironically, the same people who spent years claiming FIFA always favored Messi may have helped create the opposite outcome. It feels as if FIFA became so wary of the endless “FIFA’s boy” accusations and the constant outrage and memes on X that they went the other way. I can’t prove that’s what happened, but it’s hard not to wonder if the noise influenced the decision.
Whether that’s true or not, one thing doesn’t change: at 39 years old, Messi once again showed the world why he is the greatest footballer of all time. No award can take that away. ❤️🐐
Before people ask why Argentina’s players adore Messi while Portugal’s players don’t show the same affection toward Ronaldo, they should first look at what Messi gives them to earn that love.
Yesterday, after Argentina won, the stadium was in complete disbelief. The first person the fans wanted to celebrate was their legend, the man who brought them back into the game and then won it for them. But Messi immediately refused the chants and pointed toward his teammates, telling the fans that they deserved the recognition.
Yet his own teammates didn’t seem interested in taking the spotlight if it meant it came at Messi’s expense. After his gesture, they insisted on lifting him onto their shoulders, dancing with him, letting him enjoy the chants, and even joining in to sing his name themselves.
History won’t remember him only because he won one World Cup, or two, or even ten. It will remember that one day there was a player whose teammates loved him as if he were one of their own family. 🇦🇷💙
Lautaro Martínez was asked about Lionel Messi’s influence during Argentina’s World Cup semi-final victory over England.
🎙️ Reporter: “Lautaro, can you tell us what Lionel Messi said to you after you came on?”
🗣️ Lautaro Martínez:
“People see the assists, the dribbles and the magic, but they don’t see what Leo does with his words.
When I came onto the pitch, he walked over to me and said, ‘Attack the space between the defenders. Go for the headers. Keep making those runs.’
I tried it the first time and it didn’t work. I looked at him, and instead of telling me to change, he kept giving me signs to keep believing. He knew the opportunity would come.
We were 1–1 with less than five minutes to play. Leo looked at the scoreboard, then looked straight at me and nodded. He didn’t even have to speak. I knew exactly what he wanted. I knew the assignment.
That’s what makes him different. He sees the game before everyone else. He knows where the space will open, and he gives you the confidence to attack it without hesitation.
Playing with him is incredible because he doesn’t only create chances with his feet. He creates belief in every player around him.
At 39 years old, he’s still leading Argentina in the biggest matches, still deciding games and still showing us why he’s the greatest footballer I’ve ever seen.
We’re in another World Cup final because once again, when Argentina needed someone to guide us, Lionel Messi was that man.”