Lionel Messi has told Argentina supporters that the squad has already written a story that can never be erased, regardless of the outcome of Monday’s World Cup final against Spain.
The Argentina captain posted a photograph on Instagram showing himself surrounded by teammates, coaching staff, kitchen staff and other members of the squad, reflecting with pride on the years spent building the group ahead of the final in New York, where Argentina face Spain at 1:00am Bangladesh time on 20 July.
“The most beautiful thing about all these years was never just the titles, but the entire journey,” Messi wrote. “Sharing day to day life with this group, competing together, picking ourselves up in the difficult moments, and enjoying every step.”
He went on to thank those working behind the scenes to keep the squad functioning as a family unit. “Thanks to each one of my teammates, to the coaching staff, and to all the great people who work every day to keep this national team as a family,” he wrote. “Whatever happens tomorrow, this group has already written a story that we will never forget and that no one will be able to erase. Vamos, Argentina.”
At 39, Messi is set to play his third World Cup final, having endured contrasting experiences in his previous two. He suffered heartbreak against Germany in the 2014 final in Brazil, before finally ending Argentina’s 36 year wait for the title with victory over France in Qatar in 2022. He will become only the second player, after Brazil’s Cafu, to appear in three World Cup finals.
Argentina arrive at MetLife Stadium unbeaten in all seven matches so far, and could become the first side since Brazil in 2002 to complete the tournament with a 100 percent record. They reached the final after coming from behind to beat England 2-1 in the semi-final, a match in which Messi provided two assists.
The final also carries significance for Messi’s personal legacy. Kylian Mbappe moved above him on the World Cup’s all-time scoring list on Sunday, netting twice in France’s third-place playoff defeat by England to reach 22 goals, one clear of Messi’s 21. Messi, who has scored eight goals and provided four assists at this tournament to Mbappe’s 10 goals, still has the chance to reclaim the record and win his first World Cup Golden Boot with a strong performance in the final.
