Messi, after the title at Wembley: his score, the anger with the ball and the illusion of Scaloneta towards the World Cup

His smile is everyone’s. Because if Lionel Messi is happy, the Argentine national team plays something else. And the captain, although he hadn’t converted to Wembley, was the figure of the victory over Italy to raise the final trophy, which he did not remember that Diego Armando Maradona had also raised with his hands, in his latest joy with the Albiceleste shirt.

“The Cup is beautiful. I didn’t remember this title having been played before and having been able to win it here at Wembley is a joy.”expressed Messi, still on the pitch and referring to that 1992 Artemio Franchi Cup, with Maradona as captain.

Messi was unstoppable on the pitch. Outside, he harangued his teammates as he walked down the runway to lift his second trophy in the senior national team, less than a year away and after 28 years of drought, in which he was blamed for him.

“This group, this national team, is growing more and more, with an excellent job where we improve what we already have, we add variations, Today it was a demonstration that this group is ready for anythingalways down to earth and with humility, because we are ready to fight anyone. This match with Italy could easily be a World Cup quarter or semifinal, “said the man from Rosario, who is about to turn 35.

It is true that his performance lacked a goal to crown. She had her options of hers, but her PSG teammate from France Gianluigi Donnarumma denied them. And, after the game, he also acknowledged that he was a bit selfish in some plays.

“I wanted to score a goalespecially when I saw that the game was already under control, that we knew it was over, that Italy practically generated nothing for us and I played with it a little longer“, noted, in the statements a ESPN.

And he unveiled a detail that had a direct impact on his punishment executions, where he didn’t have the usual precision: “they changed the ball for me, we trained with one every day, which was a little heavier and different. But yesterday they changed it and it was already annoying, the other was better, I had taken her hand.

Where does the key to the Scaloneta pass? “When we are together we are infected, we get strength from where we don’t have, because this group plays like this every game and today more than ever. You can’t give an edge because there is a lot of equality and the details can define a match. Today I felt good, sometimes tired because it had been a long time since the last game, but we give each other strength, “she said.

And that positive streak of this Albiceleste Selection has already done so 32 unbeaten games: “It’s nice to get used to winning, we have played I don’t know how many games without losing and this is an advantage. We must continue on this path and try to continue growing “.

Messi was also encouraged to analyze the Grand Final which was dominated from start to finish by the Argentine national team, against a European rival, a measure he had not had in the last three years.

We played a very complete game, for us it was a bit complicated in the first half because we couldn’t find the turning point and grab the ball. From the first goal the game changed and in the second half we dominated. Today I think that the Argentine national team had an excellent second half, moved the ball, made Italy run, played with their despairwe knew we would find spaces to play. This team knows how to score when they don’t have the ball and when they do we have players to do it“, summary.

And the illusion of all the fans is the Qatar World Cup, for which there are still five and a half months to go, but if it were up to the players, they would like it to start as soon as possible to take advantage of the momentum.

“We still have to keep trying to grow to get to the World Cup in the best possible way. In September there is the Selection again (Editor’s note: FIFA date), but this is the way, we are clear, we hope to arrive well, we will continue to put“, hill.