Argentina captain Lionel Messi commented on reaching the World Cup final after the semifinal win over England, reports infohub.kz.
Argentina staged an incredible comeback after the 85th minute against the English. Messi provided two assists and will compete for the world title for the second consecutive time.
“It's crazy what we have achieved… this can make someone sad, they can say whatever they want. This group shows no one is giving us ANYTHING FOR FREE,” Messi was quoted as saying by Fabrizio Romano.
The forward also spoke about his preparation: “I have been preparing for this World Cup for almost a year. I spent December in Argentina, training morning and afternoon because I knew I had to give everything to arrive at the tournament in the best shape.”
The match ended 2-1 in favor of Argentina. Four years ago in Qatar, the team also reached the final and defeated France.
In the World Cup final, Argentina will face Spain. The match will take place on the night of July 19-20 Kazakhstan time. It will be the first official meeting between Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal and club legend Lionel Messi.
Yamal previously recalled: “I was surprised that Messi was holding me in his arms... I don’t know what I was doing back then, but now I’m very happy to have that picture with the best player in history.”
Earlier, Spain defeated France in the semifinal to reach the World Cup final for the second time in history.