Author: alaskaadmin

Mark Twain once said that the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. But I would add a third: the day I met Lionel Messi. It was a sticky, humid and thunderstorm-ridden day in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, back in the summer of 2023, which was Messi’s arrival for Inter Miami. The night before the Leagues Cup final, which would eventually become Leo’s first trophy with the club, and his 44th career title, which would become a record. But I was inside one of the suites at Inter Miami’s former stadium, waiting for an exclusive interview with a player I had covered — and, just like any other mortal, marveled at throughout my life and career. As a football journalist, the values of objectivity are imperative foundations of our work, and it’s important to never get carried away when you meet someone you admire tremendously. It also goes back to the well-known saying that you “should never meet your heroes,” some words of wisdom that were said from one legendary icon (John Lennon) to another (Mick Jagger). But I actually attribute this piece of advice more to lines from Gustave Flaubert’s 1856 novel, “Madame Bovary,” which read: “Don’t touch your idols: a little gold always rubs off.” But with Messi, the gold never does. And to me, in order to be a true serviceman of the sport as a journalist, you can’t just report on the beautiful game, you have to feel it. You have to live inside the skin of what it means to be a supporter, because they are the heart, the flesh and bones of a club or a national team. So to meet Messi is to represent what it would mean to any Argentinian who would give their right arm to do the same. You owe it to them. THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN Messi and me was about him and his family’s happiness, now finally in Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, his new life in the United States and the expectations of the next few years. And this was in the summer of 2023, not long after winning the World Cup in Qatar and months before receiving his record eighth Ballon d’Or. Messi, ever the introvert, was extremely attentive, quiet and thoughtful in his responses. This is a trait you all must know. He’s not shy but rather an internal thinker. But as a kid, it was much worse in school. When he wanted to ask a teacher a question, he would need his best friend to do it for him. During his trial at Barcelona when he was 13, established stars — like Gerard Piqué and Cesc Fàbregas, from the famed ‘87 generation — remember Messi would not speak nor ask any questions. But he didn’t need to as they learned that everything he needed to say would be on the pitch. Back to my encounter with Messi: I remember one point when I asked him how successful the U.S. and MLS can be when it comes to competing with the likes of Europe. His reply? “Their success is up to them.” And the reason why I bring that up is because it’s that type of mindset that fully encapsulates Messi, as he has always been a person who truly believes that the rewards of triumph and prosperity are only dictated by one motivating factor: himself. Messi grew up in Rosario, about 170 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the city where the Argentinian flag was first raised during the War of Independence in 1812. Messi lived in a humble neighborhood called La Bajada, in a house built by his father and grandfather. He would play in the streets until sunset and would continuously kick the ball on the same spot of the neighbors’ wall in order to get his angle perfectly right. When he played for Newell’s Old Boys, his first trip away from Argentina was to Perú and the night before the big tournament, he ate some chicken that didn’t agree with him. The next morning, the head coach was worried and wanted to take him to hospital. Messi argued and said all he needed was Gatorade. He drank it, played in the tournament and single-handedly led the team to win the entire tournament. DESPITE ALL THE admiration, the stardom and attention, however — along with the fact that he is a World Cup winner, a four-time Champions League champion and has won more individual trophies than anyone in the history of the sport — Messi remains that little boy who needed growth hormones in order to keep up with his peers. Throughout his life, he was overlooked over and over again, but never ever ran away from the eternal sentiment that destiny is something you determine. And that’s why he is the greatest ever. His is a journey of determination and will, mixed with the fact that what he does on the pitch is almost beyond belief. From his solo “Ankara Messi” goal for Barcelona against Getafe in 2007 — mirroring Diego Maradona’s own piece of art in the 1986 World Cup against England — to my favorite (his golazo at the 2018 World Cup against Nigeria), Messi has given us countless moments of magic. But again, it begins with steel-minded determination. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar, for example, started with a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia. But Messi used this as a catapult to explode into greatness with Argentina and win every match from that moment, including the electrifying final against France. Amidst adversity, Messi — just like his real-life persona — is actually very calm. Sure, you will often see emotion and dispute on the pitch, but in terms of objectives and knowing what you have to do in order to win, he is completely at peace. “We couldn’t be upset because we knew he was calm,” said his former teammate Ángel Di María, speaking about that 2022 World Cup opening loss to Saudi Arabia. “Why should I feel bad when the greatest [player] in history, our captain, is completely calm and is sending a message to 45 million Argentinians that this group won’t let them down?” And they didn’t. And so when we fast-forward to the present and look ahead to Sunday’s World Cup final between Argentina and Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium, I can’t help but feel extremely emotional about the fact that this is Leo’s curtain call at the World Cup. There is a sadness that inhabits me because I just know that after tomorrow, regardless of the score, Lionel Messi will never grace us on the grandest of stages ever again. Sure, anything can happen, and Messi could U-turn and remain committed to the fact that, as a 43-year-old superstar, he’ll grace us with playing in 2030. Nothing is impossible, and if anyone can do it, it’s him. But this is more wishful thinking than anything else. The harsh reality is that Sunday’s final will be the last time Messi urges his team with a speech akin to Henry V’s Shakespearian prose: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…” Let me change that sentiment as it’s probably not the greatest idea to give the greatest living Argentinian a quote from the most renowned English playwright. Allow me to focus instead of the timeless words from Buenos Aires-born Jorge Luis Borges, one of the most influential writers and poets of Spanish literature. “For me, beauty is a physical sensation, something we feel with our whole body. It is not the result of judgment. We do not arrive at it by way of rules. We either feel beauty or we don’t.” That’s how I feel about Lionel Messi. Words are not enough. Neither is narration. Or even a highlight. MESSI’S GENIUS MUST be felt, without restrictions or doubt. Because when he enters the pitch and dances with the ball, time stops. It moves ever so fast for everyone else, but for him, it is calm. Messi changes direction just like a lightning strike, resisting and constantly avoiding pockets of air. He doesn’t just create moments of wonder, he leaves dust on the pitch only for an opponent to chase a shadow he never knew existed. Messi has always been about deceiving reality. He has been doing this since he was five years old, when he first entered a pitch under the illusion of an older child, as his beloved late grandmother lied to the coach and told him he was older than what he appeared. After that, he never looked back and the football world would never be the same again. Sunday’s fixture is against a team he sort of helped build as Lamine Yamal’s trajectory, and the numerous graduates of La Masia, are a result of the unwanted situation that happened in 2021 when Messi had to leave his beloved Barcelona. But that tale has been told. This match on Sunday is about Argentina and Spain — two Spanish-speaking nations facing each other in the land of immigrants. Right next to the stadium is the second-largest mall in the United States, the American Dream. This is the perfect way to parallel the final, as it is indeed a match that represents this ethos — the ultimate search of happiness through hard work and perseverance, regardless of background. Messi, like me, is a two-time immigrant. And like me, one who left South America for Europe and eventually the United States. So I empathize and weirdly connect to his journey, one that could come with even more history as he looks to win back-to-back World Cup titles for Argentina. Something only done twice in the tournament’s history. History awaits. And so does the sadness of one final battle, one final piece of poetry to be written. All of us will take it all in with the enduring, albeit failing, hope that time stays frozen. But we know this won’t happen. All we can do is stand up at the end of the match, and regardless of score, applaud at genius, shed a tear and thank the football gods that throughout their endeavors, they gave us the miracle of Lionel Messi.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

NEW YORK — Spain has the chance to accomplish something no nation has ever achieved. If it defeats defending champion Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final, both its men’s and women’s national teams will simultaneously hold the sport’s biggest trophy. Germany’s men and women have each won two World Cups, but never concurrently. Similar feats have happened in other sports, including UConn’s men’s and women’s basketball teams winning national championships in 2004 and 2014, USA Basketball’s men and women taking gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the American men’s and women’s hockey teams winning gold at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. Now Spain — with the women’s side winning its first World Cup title in 2023 — has a chance to set a new standard for sustained dominance on soccer’s biggest stage. So how did Spain get here? What has allowed it to separate itself from the rest of the world? What is it doing better than everyone else? “This is the only country that starts a philosophy and an identity at a young age, and they’re all doing the same things from 9 years old and up, both the men’s and women’s side,” U.S. women’s national team legend Carli Lloyd told me. Now a FOX Sports analyst, Lloyd played against Spain during her career and has watched firsthand how the program evolved into a powerhouse. “They focus on technical excellence first and their positional play, short passing, patience, development — all those different things. And I think for a number of years, they weren’t incredibly successful but have figured out ways of going about that with the way they play.” The World Cup is only part of the story. Spain’s superiority has extended across other major competitions. The women’s national team won consecutive Nations League titles in 2024 and 2025, while Barcelona — the club that is essentially the backbone of the squad — has captured three of the last four Women’s Champions League titles. The men’s team enters Sunday’s final as the reigning European champion and Olympic gold medalist. Twenty of the 26 players on Spain’s World Cup roster were part of one or both of those triumphs, evidence that this success has been building for years. For many of these players, the foundation was laid years ago at La Masia, Barcelona’s famed academy that has long been considered one of the world’s best at developing young talent. It’s where Lionel Messi arrived as a 13-year-old before becoming arguably the greatest player in history. The academy’s legacy extends beyond Messi, though. Nine alumni will be on the field for Sunday’s World Cup final: Messi for Argentina and Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Pau Cubarsí, Dani Olmo, Alejandro Grimaldo, Marc Cucurella and Víctor Muñoz for Spain. The viral photo of Messi bathing baby Yamal has become a symbol of the passing of the torch, but a deeper connection is that both were shaped by the same developmental system. The academy opened its doors to women residents in 2021, and its pipeline has already produced many of Spain’s biggest stars, including three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Clàudia Pina, Ona Batlle and more. The familiarity and continuity built through this pathway is partly what has made these teams so successful. “We did it with discipline, being organized, with sacrifice, with commitment, with effort,” Spanish manager Luis de la Fuente said when asked how his team was able to beat France in a third straight major tournament semifinal last week. “I think that was what we do best as Spanish football players is to interpret and read the game. They know how to behave in defensive and offensive phases and in the midfield. “And that’s the fruits of our labor in the academies — all the coaches in Spain, we really value what we’re doing at that level. And this is another example that, in spite of being happy, we want more. And we want to take this World Cup and claim this title. That would be a really amazing achievement.” And it’s not just about the players coming through the youth system, but coaches, too. De la Fuente spent nearly a decade coaching and winning with Spain’s U-19, U-21 and U-23 programs before he was named senior team manager in 2022. Even Jorge Vilda, who managed Spain at the 2023 women’s World Cup, coached the senior team for eight years after winning titles at the youth level. He was later fired in 2023 as part of the fallout from the Luis Rubiales scandal. “There is something to be said for even the coaches being educated on that philosophy and that identity and working themselves from youth levels on up,” Lloyd said. “You just continue to get better as a coach, just like as a player you’re developing through the ranks. “I think there is a huge importance. I just don’t know anywhere else in the world if that could be replicated. It would be very interesting to see. I think we [the U.S.] don’t do that. Every coach that I’ve had has had a bit of a different flavor and finesse to their coaching. Sure, we’ve had that American mentality and DNA of being physical and grit and determination to win. But you can’t really look at our whole structure and say, ‘Oh, this is exactly how the U.S. play.’” Back in the day, Spain was renowned for the “tiki taka” style and short intricate passing that many tried to emulate. It’s evolved into more progressive passing, finding ways to be clinical and punish teams in front of goal, as well as playing more vertical and getting in behind. “They’ll kill you with 1,000 passes in possession,” Lloyd said before referencing Spain’s second goal against France in the World Cup semifinal. Pedro Porro and Olmo’s combination and quick passing sequence was quintessential Spain before Porro found the back of the net to give his team a 2-0 lead. “Their movement is not really about being in sync. It’s about where the next one or two passes should be, and they all know what to do, and it’s really incredible,” Lloyd continued. “I think they are probably the most complete team at this World Cup. The last game [against France] was an absolute masterclass. “And the second goal, that is only being taught from a system and a philosophy that has been developed for years. That doesn’t just happen when you come into the national team, and you start doing some passing patterns.” Could this be the beginning of a dynasty? If the men win Sunday and the women can go back-to-back at next summer’s 2027 World Cup in Brazil, the answer is a resounding yes.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports