🚨 Marc Cucurella on His Toughest Opponent — And What Really Happened with Messi
Reporter:
“Who is the toughest opponent you’ve ever faced?”
🗣️:“Lionel Messi.”
Reporter:
“You’ve faced a lot of top wingers in their prime — Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and more. What makes a 39-year-old Messi stand out compared to all of them?”
Cucurella:
“I think he’s only 39 in numbers… in reality, he’s like 25. I’ve never seen anything like it. He kept me staying back for the whole 90 minutes because I was scared of what he could do if I left him space. Normally, I like to overlap and attack, but with him, you just can’t take that risk.”
Reporter:
“So even when you tried to contain him, it wasn’t enough?”
🗣️:
“I tried my best to keep him quiet, and for a while I thought I was doing okay… but everything changed immediately Ferran scored. That’s when I saw the real side of him.”
Reporter:
“What do you mean?”
Cucurella:
“He became unstoppable. Those last 15 minutes… I can honestly say it was the most difficult 15 minutes of my life. Every time he got the ball, something dangerous was about to happen. I had to start calling Laporte for support because I couldn’t handle him alone anymore.”
Reporter:
“There was also that moment between you and Messi that almost led to a red card. What happened there?”
Cucurella:
“I was just trying to talk to him politely, explaining it wasn’t a foul. But I forgot about the new rule regarding covering your mouth — something players have been used to for years. I won’t lie, I got very lucky not to get a red card. We’ve seen others get punished for the same thing in this tournament.”
Reporter:
“So nothing serious between you and him?”
Cucurella:
“Nothing at all. I respect him a lot. After the match, he congratulated me and told me I’ll retire as one of the best left-backs in the world. Hearing that from the greatest of all time… it means everything. That’s something I’ll carry with me forever
Diego Simeone sobre por qué Lionel Messi rompió a llorar tras el pitido final contra España en la final de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026.
🗣️ “Cuando vi a Leo tirado en el césped, llorando, no vi al mejor futbolista de la historia. Vi a un argentino con el corazón completamente destrozado. En ese momento el fútbol dejó de importar. El resultado dejó de importar. Lo único que quería era abrazarlo.”
“Fui directo hacia él. Tenía la mirada perdida y las lágrimas no dejaban de caer. Solo repetía: ‘Perdón… perdón…’. Lo agarré de los hombros y le dije: ‘¡No! A la Argentina nunca le pidas perdón. Vos le diste a este país absolutamente todo lo que tenías.’”
“Le dije: ‘Escuchame, Leo. No llores por haber perdido una final. Llorá porque amaste esta camiseta con toda tu alma. Por eso millones de argentinos te aman. No por los títulos, sino porque nadie defendió este escudo con el corazón que lo hiciste vos.’”
“No podía dejar de llorar. Lo abracé más fuerte y le dije: ‘Vos no le fallaste a la Argentina. La Argentina jamás te va a fallar a vos. Cargaste los sueños de un país durante más de veinte años. No le debés absolutamente nada a nadie.’”
“La gente cree que las leyendas se construyen levantando trofeos. Se equivocan. Las leyendas también se construyen con las lágrimas que derraman por su pueblo. Esa noche Leo no lloraba solo por perder un Mundial. Lloraba porque sentía que su historia con la Selección había llegado a su final.”
“Lo miré a los ojos y le dije: ‘Cuando tus hijos vean estas imágenes algún día, no van a ver a un hombre derrotado. Van a ver a un argentino que dejó hasta la última gota de su alma por esta camiseta. No existe una victoria más grande que esa.’”
“El que sea capaz de criticar a Lionel Messi después de ver esas lágrimas no entiende nada de fútbol. Esas lágrimas demostraron el amor más puro que un futbolista puede sentir por su país.”
“Con el paso de los años, muchos recordarán quién ganó aquel Mundial. Pero los que amamos este deporte jamás olvidaremos otra imagen: Lionel Messi llorando con el corazón roto porque despedirse de la camiseta de Argentina le dolía mucho más que perder cualquier final. Y ese día, toda la Argentina lloró con él.
🚨Xavi left speechless: "At 39, Messi is still making difference in World Cup matches and he deserves the Golden Ball.
🗣️ Xavier
It's incredible. I still find it difficult to believe that at 39 years old, Lionel Messi is playing at this level in a World Cup. Most players at that age are thinking about retirement, but he's still the player making the biggest difference whenever Argentina need him.
Every time you think you've seen everything from Messi, he finds another way to amaze you. His intelligence, his calmness under pressure, the way he reads the game and creates moments that nobody else can see it's simply extraordinary.
For me, he deserves the World Cup Golden Ball. Not because of his name, but because of what he has done on the pitch. Age has never stopped him from carrying Argentina when it matters most. Watching him still dominate football's biggest stage at 39 is something we may never witness again.
🚨 “I Have the World Cup, But Messi is Football” — Rodri Refuses Golden Ball Debate
🎙️ Reporter:
“Rodri, World Champion! Many fans feel you deserved the Golden Ball over Lionel Messi tonight since you won the final. What’s your take?”
Rodri: 🗣️ “Look, lifting this trophy is all that matters to me. But regarding the Golden Ball? People shouldn't just look at the final score to judge individual genius. Yes, we won the final and were the better team. But across this entire tournament, Lionel Messi operated on a level nobody else can touch. To say I deserved it over him just because my team won… that’s not fair to football.”
🎙️ Reporter:
“Even with Argentina losing the final, you still think he deserved it?”
Rodri: 🗣️ “100%. Football is 11 against 11. You can play a flawless match, carry an entire nation, and still lose a final on small details. That doesn’t mean you weren’t the best player on the pitch. Every time Messi had the ball, time slowed down. As a midfielder, I see the tactical space and decision-making under pressure—what he did for seven matches was absolute perfection.”
🎙️ Reporter:
“So no regrets about missing out on the award?”
Rodri: 🗣️ “None at all. I have the World Cup trophy in my hands—that’s all I ever dreamed of. Losing a final doesn't erase what Messi did for a whole month, and winning it doesn't automatically make me better than him. Respect where respect is due. He earned that Golden Ball, simple as that.”
Creo que a muchos se les pasó por alto cuando, DE LA NADA, Ferran Torres (quien luego haría el gol de la victoria), camina a Tagliafico y le pega un empujón que lo tira de espalda.
¿Qué hizo el árbitro?, se acercó y le hizo a Torres gesto de que "se calme". Listo. Sin amarilla.
Faute claire et évidente de Laporte à la dernière minute sur Messi ..
l’arbitre savait que s’il sifflait faute , Messi aurait marqué et le match terminé mdrrrrrrr l’Argentine s’est tellement faite voler mais bon