Emiliano Martinez, Argentina’s shootout hero from the quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands, has said that having the “greatest player of all time” in the team will help Argentina in the World Cup final against France.
“When we won the Copa America in Brazil, the favourite was Brazil, and now people say the French are the favourites. But we have a secret advantage - the greatest player of all time,” Martinez said. “We don’t feel either superior or inferior to anyone. And as I always say, with a good defence, we have many chances to reach our goal.”
Speaking about Messi’s impact in Argentina’s run to the summit clash, Martinez added: “I see him very happy. He feels very well on the pitch. I saw a great Messi in the Copa America. He was an exceptional player, one of the best in the tournament. In this World Cup, he took a step forward from the Copa America. He is better physically and in football terms. It was quite difficult to improve on that Messi from Copa America, but he did. He is excited, he is full of joy, and this helps us very much.”
Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni, echoing his French counterpart Didier Deschamps, played down the perceived battle between Messi and Kylian Mbappe. “The game will be more of a collective effort and not individual effort. Mbappe is a great player, but France has many good players around him and that makes him an even better player,” Scaloni said. “The upcoming match would be Argentina against France and beyond Messi and Mbappe and the match will be defined by every player.”
The coach, who played a role in getting Messi back into the national team after the disappointment of the 2018 World Cup said the team is motivated to make Messi’s final World Cup match a memorable one. “Messi said this will be his final [World Cup] match, I hope he can lift the trophy in his final match, but the most important thing is for us to enjoy Messi as he is playing the best football,” said Scaloni, who was on the field when Messi made his Argentina debut in 2006.
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