World Cup Qatar 2022
The Argentine star stars in a massive press conference at the Doha Convention Center one day after the premiere of the albiceleste
A generously proportioned auditorium packed with journalists of all nationalities. A huge queue at the door and a sudden access limit for the cameras due to lack of space. Only televisions with rights ended up showing. Leo Messi’s press conference ahead of Argentina’s debut against Saudi Arabia became, this time, a planetary event.
One of the advantages of having 32 teams squeezed into Doha is that all of them are forced to go through the Doha Convention Center for official press conferences. And Argentina, FIFA or who knows if the Emir of Qatar himself chose Messi to accompany coach Lionel Scaloni before his debut. In chronological order, he was the second star to appear in conference room number 1 after Gareth Bale did yesterday. But the commotion that the Welshman created was nothing compared to everything that Messi drags.
In total, there were ten questions that the Argentine star answered. Twenty minutes of exposure in which he was calm and relaxed. Undeterred by the one that had formed in front of him. “It is a special moment, perhaps my last World Cup and the last opportunity to achieve this dream,” he said in the most representative extract of his appearance. Almost all the questions focused on knowing “how are you doing”. If he is injured or not (he said no), if he is happier than ever, if he arrives better prepared than on other occasions… He extended himself in the answers without saying too much, although he insisted on maturity and the end of a path : «Age makes you see things differently and give importance to small details that I did not realize before. Today the enjoyment of anything is above.
At the end, a slight murmur, an “ohh” of sadness because, apparently, the press did not think much of Messi. And when the idol was raised, an applause started by the Argentine press and seconded by a large part of the audience. From there, races for one last photo and shouts to get the Argentine’s attention.
By the time the star withdrew and Scaloni came out to speak, the capacity had been reduced by half. As if Qatar had scored two goals before the break.
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