️ Evaluation of Messi
"When I was a kid, he and the national team got a lot of criticism, it was unfair. Now that I have the opportunity to share everything with him and see what a great person and captain he is, I am even more convinced of how unfair that is. He always shows you the way and constantly speaks to convey confidence. He, like Horta and Di Maria, is the greatest player of the national team, they are not only role models, but they have been wearing the national team shirt for a long time and are examples that never give up".
"The hug with Leo was the most beautiful moment. He's been nice to me since I came here. I will always remember what kind of person he was. I don't remember what he said to me, I was crying a lot."
️ Final against France
"I watched Leo's penalty and it was the only one I watched. Paul kept getting me up, but I kept praying, praying to God that it would happen. It was the first time I hadn't looked at them and I couldn't. I looked at the ground and whenever people shouted, I realized something beautiful was happening. When I felt it, I knew that Dib had made a save. He danced, he was a madman. Dib is a good guy and I'm very happy about what happened to him and what he accomplished. He was a great guy and he had a very good story. "
"I changed a few shirts, but I didn't change them in the final. I think I stole a pair of Otamendi's shorts in the semi-finals or quarter-finals and it was the only time I took something".
"Five penalty takers are assigned and then if given the opportunity, it's not the same in training and in the final. I've never been in this situation but I'm sure Dibb will make a save, just like our penalty shooters will score too. But if it's my turn to take a penalty, I'll take that responsibility too. "
"I remember we went out with Otamendi and Pezzera and I saw Otamendi not touching the ball, Muani and Dibou one-on-one. You can't think too much on the pitch. I ran back, and when Dieb blocked it, it was a terrible save. It's all Dib's credit. I ran back and I saw that it was a one-on-one situation. The ball fell to the feet of Otamendi and we fought back".
️ Injuries before the World Cup
"I wasn't feeling well in the first game. They came to England to help me recover, otherwise it would not have been possible to go to the World Cup, it would be impossible. I am at home and with the physiotherapist of the national team every day. I'm worried that I won't be 100 percent because I respect the group very much. I know what the World Cup means to the team and the old players, who have been beaten before and don't deserve it. "
"The diagnosis at the club was not optimistic, but I believed in myself and the first thing I did was talk to the doctors of the national team. At the club I did an ultrasound scan and they told me it was going to take a couple of weeks and I couldn't have shown up in the group stage. But the doctors of the national team put me at ease. I trust the people in the national team, I call them and send them all the images. After 10 or 12 days, I felt good and I started working hard with the physiotherapists of the national team to recover. I arrived fine but there was no rhythm in the first game of the World Cup. "
️ Celebration on Mbappé's face.
"Beautiful photos. I remember it was Leo's 3-2 and we always played bad guys in movies, but Mbappe said something to Enzo and it wasn't the good way. He said a few trash words to him, so I pushed Enzo away, and just as Leo scored, the picture came out. That's why he quarreled with Enzo and when I saw the goal, I showed it from my heart."
️ How the superstition of smoke was born
"We were always in the room with Licha and Moli was always with us. After the first match, we were chatting and I called Icha a saint because he was a very devout believer and he felt bad after the Saudi game and he told me 'this energy has to be changed'. Then he brought countless sacred trees, and we lit them everywhere, and there was smoke everywhere. "
️ What does Scaloni blame him.
"He would scold me because I got a lot of yellow cards. It was true and I began to correct it. But at the beginning of the year, I got five yellow cards in five games and now the World Cup is over, haha. ”
️ Life after the World Cup
"Leo won everything in his life, I think so too. The World Cup is something that cannot be compared, it is the most important thing a footballer can win, and even more because of the feelings that the Argentines have about it. I'm still young, I've been in the national team for many more years, God willing, but I'm going to want to win more games."
"It didn't change my life, but it left my mark. It changed a lot of things for me and over the next few years, I will be more calm and stress-free. I watch the finals a lot, I'm always very impressed, it's all so beautiful. It makes me very proud to see that I have achieved things that were not possible for me before. ”
️ Messi's 'Give you two nests'.
"It was a great moment at the World Cup and DePaul was probably the one who joked the most about him. I heard it several times, and I don't know if he said it to him, but he often joked about it. He is a cheerful person who is happy from morning to night".
️ Messi and Di Maria play next World Cup
"I think Di Maria is pretty sure he wants to continue and I don't think there's anything wrong. And Messi I think he should continue, but these are personal decisions. I saw that he was in good physical condition, he played every game, every minute, never missed. I think he's doing well and I hope he continues like that and plays until the next World Cup. For me, he can do it, but it's a personal decision. Hopefully he can continue to be with us, he really means to us.
️ Debut against Saudi Arabia
"When we lost and we went back to the hotel, I was dead and I didn't react well to that ball. I didn't react in the best way and felt a little guilty. Then we discussed it in the group, and that's when I realized how powerful the group was. The next day, everyone was in a good mood and I always saw Messi calm, like Di Maria and Otamendi, who have a lot of experience in the game. They gave us a sense of calm. ”
️ Key match against Mexico.
"Against Mexico, when I was left out, and against the Netherlands I was excluded, that was my most painful time because you didn't play and you couldn't do anything. When you're on the pitch, you don't think about it, you try to help the team. Your pain is double. Against Mexico they were defending closely and we couldn't open the situation until Messi scored. It's like a knockout game, we're limited a lot. They had a free kick, but they didn't create anything. We wanted to win the game and luckily Leo showed up. In the first half we didn't play in the best way, there was nervousness, there was unease. The space opens up and it's easier after scoring a goal".