World Cup, celebrations, Weghorst, Maradona: Messi finally confides after Argentina’s coronation

On 18 December 2022, Argentina beat France in the World Cup final in Qatar. As usual, Lionel Messi has been very discreet in the media. Until he decides to break the silence this Monday January 30 by granting an exclusive interview to the radio-streaming Urbana Play in the program “Perros de la calle”.

On Argentina’s victory at the 2022 World Cup

What I have longed for so much throughout my career has almost come to an end. Every fan wants their country to win, but every time a team got knocked out I saw people saying they wanted me to win the World Cup. It’s something incredible, I think it’s the first time it’s happened.

I have not seen the final. I have seen summaries, excerpts, celebrations of many people. But not the final.

On the preparation of the Argentina-France final

Before the final we didn’t change our habits. I was very calm and slept very well the day before the game. Also, during this World Cup, I was very relaxed, I felt that the whole team was in good shape and that we were making every effort to win.

About how he felt during Montiel’s winning shot on goal

It’s hard to explain how I felt when Montiel scored. Many things were going through my head. Most of all I wanted to enjoy this moment. Finally I got all the titles I dreamed of with Argentina, which I had already got with Barça.

On his kiss at the World Cup during the awards ceremony

When I lost the trophy, I had to. It’s like the World Cup is calling me and saying, “It’s okay, now you can touch me.” She was so brilliant and majestic in this stadium that I went to kiss her.

On his altercation with Weghorst after the Netherlands-Argentina

Before the game, some of my teammates came up to me and said, “Did you see what Van Gaal said? “. Once the game was over, I didn’t like what I did. There was a lot of tension and nervousness and we often misbehave because of it. I don’t like giving this image of myself but these are things that happen.It was very hot on land.

On his defeat in the 2014 World Cup final

It’s always a big disappointment. It will never fade even if I win in 2022.

On what he did after the 2022 World Cup

We spent about seven hours in the hotel talking about everything, partying… Then we went to the airport, we stopped in Rome before leaving for Argentina. We talked about what it would be like to take this trip after losing the final…

On celebrations in Argentina

We were very surprised when we arrived that there were so many people. When we arrived, we thought we’d rest right away and celebrate the title the next day. With jet lag, I slept for an hour or two. I turned on the TV and saw the streets black with people. It was 5 in the morning and that’s when I knew it was going to be crazy.

The happiness of all these people, of all ages, was crazy. You saw it on their faces. Every time I see the videos of the celebrations, I get emotional.

I spent a few days replying to messages on WhatsApp. My Instagram account has been blocked due to the number of messages.

About his headache at celebrations

We drank Fernat Cola. It was all red, it was shit. I had a headache and the sun was beating down. The first days I was not very well. The bottle was not very expensive, one had to be careful. Because of the sun, we were all red. We didn’t think the sun would hit so hard.

About Diego Maradona and about… Lionel Messi

I wish Diego could see all of this, because he loved the selection. I think if he had been there, he would have given me the cup. I think that from above, he and many people who love me have transmitted positive vibes

If I had to talk to 13-year-old Lionel Messi, I’d tell him never give up and always believe in his dreams because the ultimate reward will be at the end of his career.