Author: alaskaadmin

NEW YORK — Will this be Lionel Messi’s last match for Argentina? Lionel Scaloni chuckled at the question directed at him on Friday evening, two days before his side battles Spain in what promises to be an epic World Cup final on Sunday. “What do I know? Ask him,” the Argentine manager said at a press conference in New York City. “I don’t have the faintest idea, to be honest. He doesn’t stop surprising us.” There’s a good chance Messi doesn’t even know the answer himself. For years, retirement has hovered over every major tournament he has played. Each World Cup has been framed as his last – until it wasn’t. Now, at 39, he finds himself one win away from hoisting another trophy. Messi has been masterful this summer. He has scored eight goals, tying Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot lead, while adding four assists. Two of those came late in Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 semifinal victory over England, yet another reminder of what he’s capable of doing when the stakes are highest. We’ve always known how much Messi means to his team and his country. The murals painted across Argentina, the mass of jerseys represented in stadiums, he’s a symbol of national pride. And that bond has somehow become more visible at this World Cup. During a training session on Friday, Argentina was doing rondo drills when Messi lost possession and started walking to the middle of the circle. Lisandro Martínez grabbed his captain by the hands and steered him back to the outside instead, taking his place in the middle. It was a playful moment, but also a display of the respect this team has for Messi. After Argentina beat England to reach its second straight final, Enzo Fernández hoisted Messi onto his shoulders while the rest of the team jumped around them in celebration while also singing and dancing. Whenever Messi is knocked to the ground during a match, teammates usually rush in and defend him. No one embodies that more than Rodrigo De Paul, who has visibly been his fiercest ally and protector throughout the tournament. “He is pure history,” Scaloni said of Messi. “A legend. I feel proud. He’s the best footballer that the world has seen, and I think that’s something beautiful. Being able to reach the final at 39 years of age, well, I think that’s something unbelievable. And that is why I say we must enjoy him. Diego Maradona, we still miss him, but Messi is still with us. So we need to attach importance to what he does. “He is history. He is a legend.” Scaloni went on to talk about how special this time is for the group. “It’s very difficult to do this,” Scaloni said. “They’ve achieved things that back in the day were totally unthinkable. I told them yesterday that they had done something unbelievable and that I was deeply thankful. My whole staff and myself will be thankful forever. “It wasn’t easy to get to this stage of the World Cup and compete for so many years at this level, so I think this is wonderful. I hope we win, but if we don’t, this journey was unbelievable and an example for everyone. I hope it will help our people and our country.” Messi wasn’t the only player facing questions about his future this week. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has vowed in the past that if Argentina wins a second consecutive World Cup, he will retire. The 33-year-old didn’t want to address those comments directly in the days leading up to the massive showdown with Spain. Instead, he’s focused on the opportunity ahead. “We said the only thing we’re thinking about is winning,” Martinez said in front of a packed room of reporters. “Overcoming adversity is something we’ve been doing for the past few years. It’s difficult to express into words. Sometimes I even feel like crying just thinking about what we’ve achieved. I’m so grateful.” “We need to know how to enjoy these moments as a professional footballer,” Martinez continued. “Sometimes we are not aware of what’s going on. So the message I conveyed to my teammates is that we have to enjoy these moments and prepare for the game with happiness. “Things can go good or bad, but we’ll always remember this moment.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

If your first thought when seeing the now-viral photo of Lionel Messi bathing Lamine Yamal as an infant is how unbelievable it is that the two will be playing against each other in Sunday’s World Cup final, you’re not alone; Messi shares the sentiment. “That picture with Lamine, now we are facing in a final after a photo was taken of when he was a baby,” Messi told seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady at Fanatics Fest on Friday. “It’s just insane.” The photo was taken by reelance photographer Joan Monfort during a promotional charity photo shoot nearly two decades ago, when Messi was 20 years old and Yamal was an infant. Nearly 20 years later, the two will face off in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Messi’s Argentina and Yamal’s Spain on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium. Messi shares a great admiration for Yamal, who stars for FC Barcelona just as Messi did from 2000 to 2021, but he’s hoping that he and his teammates can keep the 19-year-old superstar quiet for one night. “Lamine is truly amazing,” Messi said. “I’ve followed him a lot because he plays for a club I love so much. He has a chance to achieve something historic — we’re going to try to make sure that doesn’t happen this time.” Both Messi and Yamal are chasing history. Messi could become the first player to win back-to-back World Cup titles as team captain, while Yamal could become the second-youngest player to win the World Cup final as a starter. The only thing standing in their way? Each other. “We’ll try to put on a good match, but I hope he and his team don’t put on a good one,” Messi said. The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX one.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Twenty-six years ago, when a 13-year-old Lionel Messi left his beloved Rosario and arrived in Barcelona for his trial to join La Masia academy, with the hopes of sealing a move that could change his life, no one could predict the impact of that moment. Not only did it eternally change Messi’s life and the footballing landscape as a whole, but it also created a butterfly effect that transformed the entire fate of a club, a nation and the way Messi and Barcelona became the greatest partnership in modern football history. But his departure in 2021 from the club, which sent shock waves around the world, caused a seismic impact on so many tangible factors that forced Barcelona to act. As a result, from a fatalistic standpoint, Messi’s departure from Barcelona – and his eventual arrival to Inter Miami after a disappointing tenure with Paris Saint-Germain – became a huge factor in what we are currently witnessing: the continued gritty dominance of Argentina and the jaw-dropping depth of Spain, including the rapid rise of its star player, Lamine Yamal. Sunday’s World Cup final, therefore, has a chapter deeply embedded in its theme — and that’s the role of Barcelona. Messi’s exit from Barcelona was a result of financial instability and terrible mismanagement, where the club’s huge debt impeded it from signing the superstar due to La Liga’s financial fairness regulations. After 21 years, with heavy emotion, Messi left the club and joined PSG. Through the years in the aftermath, Barcelona needed to make the best of its most important asset: the aforementioned academy, as La Masia, the place which nurtured Messi, would have to come to the rescue once again. Since Messi’s departure, at least 15 different graduates from La Masia have featured heavily for Barcelona, including Yamal, who arrived on the senior team in the 2022-23 season under then-manager Xavi. Yamal aside, this acceleration of young Spanish talents now infiltrates La Roja with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Pau Cubarsí, Eric García and Dani Olmo, all of whom are very important for the national team and a reason why Spain’s dominance has catapulted. Yamal especially. His arrival to Barcelona’s first team and Spain was sorely needed as he injected a vital, creative spark that had been missing. Yamal is a confident young superstar. A brand-new mold of star, full of swagger and without any inhibition regarding his game. He knows exactly who he is and, thanks to his success with club and country, as well as the guidance of his managers, Hansi Flick and Luis de la Fuente, he has persevered. There does remain a worry about minute management and the concern that perhaps these young stars are being worn down. Let’s remember, it was in this World Cup that Yamal had only just returned to full fitness as his first full match was in the round of 16 against Portugal. And since then, he hasn’t looked back. On Sunday, when he enters the pitch in New Jersey, he will become the third-youngest men’s player to enter a World Cup final behind Pelé and the Italian Giuseppe Bergomi. Then there’s Lionel Messi, who, at 39, is looking to once again turn back time and deliver another majestic performance in the final and help his Argentina — the two-consecutive Copa América winner and defending World Cup champion — do something only two other national teams have done before: win back-to-back World Cup trophies. And his departure from Barcelona also helped Argentina because, after PSG, winning the World Cup in 2022 was a sign of resilience and fortitude. But it was also about reflection. So his arrival to Inter Miami six months later gave him something that can’t be measured in transfer or contract fees. It gave him his happiness. “I have never seen you happier,” I told him the night before the Leagues Cup final, which would become Inter Miami’s first ever trophy. “It’s true,” he smiled back. “Not just because of results on the pitch but because of our everyday lifestyle, with my wife, my kids and the way we spend our time.” Yes, we would have to be fools to not realize that his move to MLS was financially monumental in every way, but it was also about his everyday life and his acceptance of peace after leaving PSG. Messi, once again, was happy. Calm. And I think this allowed him to continue playing, and eventually win MLS Cup, but also to create an even stronger relationship with Argentina, the players, Lionel Scaloni and its community. Miami, you see, and the South Florida region, is home to the largest Argentinian diaspora in America. Messi is practically in Rosario without actually being there. His people are there. Argentina’s federation even has a base in Miami, with a complex and offices, and works closely with Inter Miami for Messi’s preparations prior to major matches and tournaments with the national team. So playing in America throughout this World Cup has truly served Messi and Argentina. If this is his last dance, it is being played to a beautiful tango of Argentinian warmth. Argentina has benefited from Messi’s happiness as he also enters the final with a chance to secure the Golden Boot, also depending on what Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane do, or don’t, on Saturday. So I guess what I am trying to say is that when it comes to Sunday’s final between Argentina and Spain, this fixture is a result of fate, decisions thrown against Barcelona’s will, which consequently created a narrative that we have now. The Catalan club very much plays a role in this final. And I haven’t even mentioned the iconic 2007, viral photo by freelance photographer Joan Monfort. To conclude this sentiment, let’s leave it with this: Messi left Barcelona in 2021, but his departure caused a ripple-effect of trajectories, one where many players, most notably Lamine Yamal, benefited tremendously. And, after a short stint in Paris, it also allowed Leo to move to a place he could truly love in the final years of his career. In a cosmically intriguing way, they both owe each other a sense of gratitude — but it all begins at the place where both learned their trait: La Masia. Barcelona, therefore, may be very far away from East Rutherford, New Jersey, but in spirit and narrative, it is very much a protagonist for Sunday’s World Cup final.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports