Lionel Messi offered an insight into his approach to handling pressure after being questioned by tennis great Novak Djokovic during a special Fanatics Fest event in New York that brought together some of the biggest names in world sport.
The Argentina captain shared the stage with Djokovic, NFL legend Tom Brady and NBA star Kevin Durant, while FIFA handed the microphone to leading sporting personalities to pose questions to Messi and Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni.
During the discussion, Djokovic asked, "Leo, how did you learn this way of dealing with pressure and fighting under pressure?"
Messi's response reflected the mindset that has underpinned Argentina's run to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.
The defending champions produced dramatic comebacks in both the Round of 16 against Egypt and the semi-final against England.
Argentina fell 1-0 behind against England after Anthony Gordon scored in the 55th minute before Messi inspired the turnaround. He set up Enzo Fernandez for the equaliser in the 85th minute and then provided another assist for Lautaro Martinez, who scored the winner in the second minute of stoppage time to seal a 2-1 victory.
In the Round of 16, Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 after 67 minutes. Messi sparked the comeback by assisting Cristian Romero's goal in the 79th minute before scoring the equaliser himself four minutes later. Enzo Fernandez then netted the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.
Answering 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 also heads into the World Cup final leading the Golden Boot standings with eight goals. Although Kylian Mbappe has also scored eight times, Messi sits atop the rankings courtesy of his four assists.
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