Messi: I No Longer Fear Injury, Will Deliver Better Performance in Final

Ahead of Argentina’s Copa America final against Colombia, Messi gave an interview to DSports. Messi revealed that his injury has no impact on him anymore and promised a better performance in the final. He also declined to disclose when he plans to retire from football.

Regarding the muscle injury that affected him during the Copa America, Messi stated that he feels no fear now, “I have no fears, I feel very good right now.”

Messi disclosed that his adductor muscle injury wouldn’t bother him during the semi-final match, “In the last game, I felt much better, and by the final, I will be even better. My physical performance against Canada was great. Although the adductor issue occurred during the Chile match, it hasn’t affected me since.”

Messi discussed the differences between Copa America and Euro Cup, believing that advancing in Copa America is harder, “Unlike the Euro Cup where there is extra time after 90 minutes, Copa America goes straight to penalty shootouts, which leads many relatively weaker teams to seek draws and then take their chances in the shootout.”

He then lavished praise on goalkeeper Martinez’s performance, “In a penalty shootout, having Martinez means you don’t need to gamble on luck. If he saves 1-2 penalties, we gain a significant advantage.”

Regarding his career, Messi indicated he won’t provide a definitive timeline, “I’m not thinking about that right now, I’m enjoying my present days. During the Copa America, although injuries slightly altered my plans, we still made it to the final.”

With Di Maria set to retire from the national team after the Copa America final, Messi vowed to send him off with a championship win, “No one can change his decision, we tried to make Di Maria enjoy the game, and we’re fortunate to bid him farewell in the final. I hope he performs like he did in the previous final, which would undoubtedly be extraordinary (referring to scoring and winning the World Cup final).”