Lionel Messi Ready for Copa América Final Against Colombia Despite Injury Challenges

Lionel Messi, captain of Argentina's national team, is set to lead his squad in the Copa América final against Colombia on Sunday, July 14, with kickoff at 8:00 p.m. ET. In an interview with DSports, Messi discussed his physical challenges during the tournament, particularly a muscular issue that affected his performance. “I lost my fear,” Messi said. “For the final, I’m going to feel better.”

Messi described his progress, saying, “In the last match, I lost my fear, I felt better, and for the final, I will feel even better. Against Canada, I felt very good, despite the chances we created. Against Chile, I suffered an adductor problem and didn’t play comfortably. It slowed me down and made lateral movements difficult. Against Ecuador, I was okay with the injury, but I still had it in my head.”

Messi also commented on the difficulty of playing in the Copa América: “All the Copa América tournaments are very difficult and hard. You can be eliminated on a tiny detail. The matches are just 90 minutes, and there are penalties. Not having extra time, as in the Euros, means teams play differently against Argentina. Many aim for a draw and a penalty shootout, where the best team doesn’t always win.”

He praised goalkeeper Dibu Martínez for his crucial role in the quarter-final shootout against Ecuador: “We were lucky during the match as Ecuador created good chances. In the penalty shootout, with Dibu, it’s no longer luck. You know he will save one or two, which is a great advantage.”

Messi, who scored the second goal in Argentina's 2-0 semi-final win over Canada, also spoke about his relationship with coach Lionel Scaloni: “Sometimes we talk about anything. I’ve been a teammate with all the coaching staff. We often discuss training or the game, but many times it’s not about soccer. He is very close to us and responsible for this group being the way it is.”

The final between Argentina and Colombia will take place on Sunday, July 14, with kickoff at 8:00 p.m. ET.