‘We are in a final, let’s enjoy it’, says Messi after qualifying

Messi, 35, was all smiles in the interview on the lawn of the Lusail stadium, in Qatar, right after the end of the match against Croatia.

The 3-0 victory qualified Argentina for the final, and the number 10 will have the second chance to play in the game that could give him the chance to lift the FIFA Cup. In the first, in 2014, in Brazil, defeat to Germany

Before the 2022 World Cup final, however, he intends to celebrate with his teammates and family the victory this Tuesday (13), in which he scored a goal, from the penalty spot, which opened the scoring, and assisted Julián Álvarez do the third and last.

“We are enjoying the Cup, we were confident of how far we could go. We are in a final and we are going to enjoy it,” declared the Argentina captain. “My family, who have always supported me, will also enjoy it.”

The feeling of happiness now contrasts, however, with that of concern at the beginning of the World Cup, when Argentina, surprised by a defeat in the debut against Saudi Arabia, ran a high risk of being eliminated in the group stage.

“The first match was a very hard blow for everyone, we came from 36 games undefeated. Starting like this was a very hard test for everyone”, declared Messi at the press conference.

“Each match became a final. We were aware that, if we didn’t win, we would get into trouble”, stated the Argentine captain. “We played five finals.”

“We lost the first match by details, and that ended up helping us to grow in the competition and as a group. Internally we were very confident”, concluded the striker, who is one of the best players in the world.

Messi has been playing well in Qatar and already has five goals – he is one of the top scorers in the Cup, alongside Frenchman Mbappé – and three assists (goal passes).