Lionel Messi and Novak Djokovic had an intense conversation about dealing with pressure. The Argentine skipper shared the stage with sporting greats such as Djokovic, Tom Brady, and Kevin Durant at a special Fanatics Fest event in New York.
FIFA gave the microphone to some of the biggest personalities in world sport, who asked questions to Messi and even to Lionel Scaloni.
During the event, Djokovic asked, “Leo, how did you learn this way of dealing with pressure and fighting under pressure?”
Messi’s answer totally summed up Argentina’s mentality. The defending champions had to stage comebacks in their semifinal win against England and also in the Round of 16 against Egypt.
Against England, they were 1-0 down after Anthony Gordon’s opener in the 55th minute. But then Messi inspired Argentina to a sensational comeback, assisting Enzo Fernandez for the equaliser in the 85th minute. Then he assisted Lautaro Martinez in the second minute of stoppage time, as Argentina clinched a dramatic 2-1 win.
Against Egypt, Argentina were trailing 0-2 after 67 minutes. Then Messi rose to the occasion once again, assisting Cristian Romero for his goal in the 79th minute. Then he made it 2-2 in the 83rd minute, followed by Enzo Fernandez scoring the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.
‘We never thought about pressure’: Lionel Messi
Responding to Djokovic’s question, Messi said, “Hey Novak, as our coach said, we started playing football with great passion and a constant desire to play and enjoy it, no matter the place; whether at school, in the street, or with one of the neighborhood teams, just as we all started when we were young.”
“We never thought about pressure; instead, we treated it as something natural.
“We played to enjoy and compete, because we are a group that loves to win, but at the same time we realize that the opponent is also playing, and that winning is not always guaranteed.
“And from a young age, I learned and understood that you lose more than you win, and I believe that this is what helped me mature, both as a person and as a player,” he added.
Messi is also currently leading the Golden Boot race, with eight goals, ahead of Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe also has eight goals, but Messi’s four assists put him on top.
