Messi, Rodri meet sports legends before World Cup final in New York

Lionel Messi and Spain captain Rodri joined Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez at a FIFA-hosted preview event at New York's Javits Center on Friday, two days before Sunday's World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The event, held as part of Fanatics Fest, featured sports figures from other disciplines—tennis champion Novak Djokovic, basketball legend Kevin Durant, and NFL icon Tom Brady—asking questions of the players and coaches rather than traditional journalists.

Messi, 39, spoke about pressure and competition as natural elements of sport. When asked by Djokovic about handling pressure in big moments, Messi said: "We grew up playing football with a lot of passion, always wanting to play, have fun and enjoy ourselves, whether in school, the street, or a team. I think we never thought about pressure; we see it as something natural about playing and having fun. We are a competitive group that likes to win, but it is a collective sport and the rival also plays, and you cannot always win. As a child I learned that you lose more than you win, and that helped me grow as a person and as a player."

Brady probed Messi about a viral photograph from 2007 showing Messi bathing a three-month-old Lamine Yamal, who has since become a 19-year-old Spanish winger. Messi responded: "That photo is crazy because it is life. I took a photo when I was a baby, and now we are facing each other in a World Cup final—it is crazy. I wish him a lot of luck because his success will be Barcelona's success, and we will try to play a good match so he doesn't have his best version." The crowd repeatedly chanted Messi's name throughout the event, and the World Cup trophy was displayed on stage.

Rodri, Spain's captain, expressed emotion at facing Messi in the final, stating: "It goes beyond words what Messi means as a player and for Argentina. Obviously for me, he's the greatest of all time." Scaloni described Messi as "pure history" and called reaching a final at age 39 "incredible."

Argentina enters the final as the defending champions, unbeaten through the tournament with a 7-0-0 record. Spain drew its opening match against Cape Verde but remains undefeated at 6-0-1. A victory for Argentina would make them the first team to win consecutive World Cups since Brazil achieved the feat in 1962. The match is scheduled for Sunday at 16:00 Brasília time (15:00 EDT).