Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez says Argentina, roared on by 50,000 of their own fans, have what it takes to beat France because they have ‘the greatest player of all time’ in Lionel Messi.
Martinez said they were building on their victory at the Copa America last year, where they beat Brazil in Rio de Janeiro to win the nation’s first major trophy since 1993.
‘When we won in Brazil they were considered favourites and it’s the same now, but we have the advantage of having the greatest player of all time,’ said Martinez.
‘Leo’s been very happy here, every Argentinian feels great on the pitch. You saw a great Messi last year in Copa America, he was exceptional.
But he’s taken a step forward here. I never thought I’d see a better player than Messi in Copa America 2021 but, the fact is, he is even better.’
France manager Didier Deschamps acknowledged that the stadium is likely to feel like a home game for Argentina, with their fans vastly outnumbering the French and that the many global viewers will want Messi to win.
Deschamps, who won the World Cup as France captain in 1998 and as manager in 2018, said: ‘I’m fine being alone in the world — that doesn’t bother me.
'I know that the Argentinians — and maybe some French people too — would like to see Messi win the title.
They [the Argentinians] are passionate people who will get behind their team and that’s a positive thing to have for a World Cup final. But our opponents are not in the crowd, they’re on the pitch. Only one team will come out of it with a third World Cup.’
Captain Hugo Lloris added. ‘We know what Messi represents in the history of our sport. But the event is too important to focus on one player.’