The FIFA World Cup final is just hours away. The eyes of the entire football world are now fixed on MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where Argentina and Spain will face off in the title-deciding showpiece. The pressure ahead of such a high-voltage final is immense — yet Argentina captain Lionel Messi, speaking to the media, offered a remarkably calm and grounded perspective on how he handles it.
Messi shared his approach to managing the pressure of a World Cup final at the Fanatics Fest event held at the Javits Center in New York, in a session hosted by NFL legend Tom Brady and former England defender Rio Ferdinand. He was joined at the event by head coach Lionel Scaloni and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.
Reflecting on his earliest memories of football, Messi said, “We played football with great passion from a very young age. Wherever we had the opportunity — at school, on the street, or at a club — we played and we enjoyed it. Because all of us started out playing football in our neighbourhoods and local teams.”
When asked about the pressure of playing in a match as significant as the World Cup final, Messi said, “We never think about pressure as something separate. We approach the game naturally and try to enjoy it. We are competitive and we love to win. But football is a team sport — the opponent plays too. So it is not possible to win every time.”
Argentina navigated the group stage of the tournament with relative ease, but faced far sterner tests in the knockout rounds, overcoming Cape Verde, Egypt, Switzerland, and England on their way to the final.
Messi added, “I learned from a very young age that defeats are more important than victories. It is those defeats that have shaped me and made me more mature — both as a person and as a footballer.”
