‘Messi is the best of all time, but Argentina is not just Messi's team’

Ahead of the World Cup final, Spain's midfield powerhouse Rodri, while acknowledging Lionel Messi as the greatest footballer of all time, warned that it would be a big mistake to think of Argentina as a team solely dependent on Messi. At the same time, he said that Spain wants to achieve its goal of winning the World Cup by playing according to its own plan, without giving in to provocations.

Rodri said at the press conference, "The support is certainly important, but the match is decided on the field. I saw so many Spain jerseys in the stadium. We felt the support of the people. We will give everything on the field to repay that support." 

He said about this generation of Spain, "We have grown step by step. I said before, this generation will do great things. We won the Nations League, won the Euros, and now we are in the World Cup final. On Sunday, we have the opportunity to make this generation unforgettable."

Regarding the goal of winning the World Cup, Rodri said, "Our goal was to reach this point. We want to win the World Cup and I believe we can do it. We have defeated big opponents. This time we are facing the toughest opponent. This will be the best test to prove our ability to win the World Cup. We have to have more hunger to win than fear of losing."

His comment on Spain's style of play, 'We don't have a specific style of play. We adapt ourselves according to the match and the opponent. We can adapt to any situation. The biggest achievement is to become world champion.' 

Then came the much-discussed question about Lionel Messi. Without hesitation, Rodri said, 'There is no need to say who Messi is. For me, he is the best footballer of all time. But Argentina is not just Messi's team. I believe that the two best teams in the world at the moment in terms of collective football are Argentina and Spain.'

Praising Argentina, he added, "Argentina must be given credit. Reaching two consecutive World Cup finals is a testament to their competitive mentality. We know what kind of team they are. We will try to damage them according to our plan. We will go out on the field to win."

Rodri is also wary of Argentina's fighting mentality. However, he made Spain's plan clear, saying, 'Argentina is a team that fights to the end. If an aggressive atmosphere is created in the match, we will ignore it. We will not give in to their provocations. That is our plan.' 

Rodri's comments before the final revealed his deep respect for Messi, and it was also clear that Spain is not willing to lose focus in the fight to win the World Cup.

Rodri is also wary of Argentina's fighting mentality. However, he made Spain's plan clear, saying, 'Argentina is a team that fights to the end. If an aggressive atmosphere is created in the match, we will ignore it. We will not give in to their provocations. That is our plan.' 

Rodri's comments before the final revealed his deep respect for Messi, and it was also clear that Spain is not willing to lose focus in the fight to win the World Cup.