Luis de la Fuente on Lionel Messi after Spain defeated Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Final.
🗣️ “Tonight, Spain celebrates becoming world champions, but my heart also goes out to Lionel Messi. As an opponent, you dream of beating the very best. As a football lover, it’s impossible not to feel emotional seeing a legend leave the pitch with so much pain.”
“I told my players before the match that facing Messi was the greatest challenge in football. Even at his age, he demanded our full respect from the first minute to the last. He pushed us to our absolute limit because that’s what the greatest players do.”
“When the final whistle blew, I celebrated with my team because we achieved our dream. But then I looked across the pitch and saw Messi. That image reminds you how cruel football can be. One team is crying with joy, the other with heartbreak.”
“History will remember Spain as world champions, and rightly so. But history must also remember Lionel Messi with respect. He didn’t lose his greatness tonight. He didn’t lose his legacy. He walked off that pitch as one of the greatest footballers the world has ever seen, and every player in my squad was honoured to share the field with him.”