🗣️ Lamine Yamal: "O tarihin en iyisi ve her zaman hayranlık duyduğum biri. Maç sonunda ona saygımı gösterdim.
Bana yoluma devam etmemi ve geleceğin bizim kuşağımıza ait olduğunu söyledi. Bu sözler, boynumdaki altın madalya kadar değerli."
Rodri responds to whether Spain can stop Lionel Messi and Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final.
🗣️ Reporter: “Rodri, do you believe Spain can stop Lionel Messi in the World Cup final?”
Rodri: “Why wouldn’t we? If you’re asking whether Messi is the greatest player of all time, my answer is yes. If you’re asking whether he’s capable of deciding another World Cup final at 39 years old, absolutely. But if you’re asking whether Spain are going into this match already beaten before kickoff… absolutely not.”
“I’ve watched every minute of Argentina’s tournament. I’ve seen what he did against England. They were leading 1-0, they thought they had the game under control, and then Messi completely changed everything. Two unbelievable assists, another masterclass and another World Cup final. That’s exactly why every team in the world respects him.”
“But this is the World Cup final. We didn’t come this far to spend ninety minutes watching Lionel Messi make history. We came here to stop him and bring the trophy back to Spain.”
“People are acting as if the trophy already belongs to Argentina because Messi is on the pitch. That’s football’s biggest mistake. Respect is one thing. Fear is another. We have no fear.”
“Yes, he’s still the best player in the world. Yes, he’s capable of punishing any mistake. That’s why we cannot switch off for even one second. Against a player like Messi, one moment of hesitation can cost you the World Cup.”
“We’ll defend together, we’ll fight together and we’ll suffer together if we have to. If Messi wants another World Cup, he’s going to have to earn every single touch of the ball because we’re not giving him anything for free.”
“I’ve admired him throughout my career, but admiration ends when the referee blows the whistle. For ninety minutes, there are no idols only opponents.”
“The world wants another Lionel Messi fairytale. Spain wants the World Cup. We respect the greatest player of all time, but we’re not walking onto that pitch to applaud him we’re walking onto it to beat him.”