Argentina goalkeeper E. Martinez spoke in an interview about the upcoming FIFA World Cup final against Spain, admitting that he could not express in words how proud he was and stating that the team would not choose their opponents.
E. Martinez said: "It feels very special, as if fate intended for us to play against them." He recalled that everyone initially thought they would meet in the FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, and then there were other ideas, but now they are finally meeting. "Facing Spain or any other opponent, a FIFA World Cup final has a different flavor, and I really can't explain in words how proud I am right now."
When asked if this, his second FIFA World Cup final, felt different from the match against France, E. Martinez admitted: "I don't know what to say. The semi-final against England a few days ago was the second most enjoyable match in my national team career, because of the support of the fans and the history behind that match. Winning once is already difficult, but to win twice, to bring Argentina its fourth star, I can only imagine the celebrations in Argentina, returning to our homeland, and enjoying it with the fans, and I am already praying and dreaming of all this."
Regarding Spain's retention of Yamal as a "bullet", E. Martinez calmly responded: "I would prefer Leo (Messi), Julian (Alvarez) and the others to keep shooting and blasting the ball into the top corner. If we can score three goals per game, then we can win."
E. Martinez emphasized: "People always comment on the opponents we face, but we don't choose the opponents; the game progresses step by step. I saw Colombia completely dominate Portugal, and then Switzerland beat Colombia. We also had a tough win against Switzerland, and playing in the heat was very difficult. This Sunday's final is at 3 PM, it will be very hot, but we have to play, to win, and to adapt to the environment. No team is better at adapting to various situations than we are."
When asked about his familiarity with the Spanish players, E. Martinez said: "Of course, we all know them, and they know us. There is very little room for error in the FIFA World Cup; we have made some defensive mistakes that we wouldn't normally make, but as I said, if you have people up front who can always score one or two goals, then we just need to keep a clean sheet again, and we can be crowned champions again."
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