With the final whistle, Lionel Messi burst into tears. And for good reason: the Argentina national team had achieved a miraculous draw against Egypt that secured their place in the next round of the World Cup. But what few saw was what happened before. In the subsequent press conference, Lionel Scaloni, with a broken voice, revealed the scene that sent chills down everyone’s spine.
‘I always get emotional,’ confessed the coach, visibly affected. ‘What happens is that sometimes the tears come; tears also came out in the locker room.’ And then he dropped the bombshell: ‘I told the boys, and especially those on the bench, to take him as an example, without a doubt.’
The coach referred to the exact moment when Messi, after missing a penalty that could have been fatal, asked for the ball again. ‘He could have said: «I missed the penalty and that’s it, it’s over, they make it 2-0 and that’s it,» but he asks for it again and tries again. I get goosebumps, really,’ Scaloni recounted, unable to hide his admiration.
The match, which seemed lost, turned into an epic. Argentina, against the ropes, found the strength to equalize in the final minutes. ‘The magnitude of today is comparable to many great things we have experienced,’ assured Scaloni, who did not hesitate to describe the team’s performance as ‘marvelous.’
‘It’s a feeling of a team that, no matter what is happening, keeps moving forward, trying to play their game. In the end, football is this: tactics, strategy, but if we didn’t have this part, we would have been eliminated,’ explained the coach, making it clear that the merit was not only tactical but also from the heart.
Asked about the fans’ concern, Scaloni sent a direct message: ‘Let the people continue the same, and what was always said, I don’t know if it was Leo in Qatar: «They won’t leave you behind.» It’s like that, it’s literal, because that’s what you notice, what you feel.’ With teary eyes, he concluded: ‘So, nothing, emotional.’
Argentina is already in the next round, but what is etched in fire is the image of a captain who, at 37 years old, is still the first not to give up. And a coach who, as a fan, cannot help but get emotional.
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Para mí esto huele a cortina de humo. Messi llorando y Scaloni de rodillas mientras los laburantes se comen un garrón. Me parece que el fútbol nos dopa para no ver la realidad. Igual banco al diez, es cra y de los nuestros. Vamos Argentina carajo!
para mi estos zurdos lloran de envidia messi el unico q no se rinde ni vendiendo humo mientras estos muertos de hambre piden q el estado los banque ejemplo de caracter no como los tibios q critican vamos argentina carajo