Alexis Mac Allister spoke about the chat prior to the World Cup final, the match itself and winning the trophy.
Mac Allister became an important figure in midfield for the Argentina national team. Scoring and assisting at the World Cup, the 24 year old started the World Cup final and had an assist on Ángel Di María’s goal.
And the Argentine spoke about the final. Speaking in an interview with Sofi Martinez Mateos, here is what he haed to say in regards to the chat prior to the final”
“The night before the final, I went to get a haircut, I had to look neat. Afterwards, I was able to rest and enjoy everything.
“Generally Leo (Messi) is the one who takes the floor, there was like an island in the middle of the dressing room. We all stood around and Leo started talking… Seeing him motivates you. Knowing that you are next to the best in history and going out on to the pitch with 10 people are like your family.
“Leo (Messi) would start talking a little bit. In the final, I think Dibu (Emiliano Martínez) started to cry a little bit, it was all very emotional. Very beautiful.
“I remember many members of the coaching staff crying. It was an emotional talk in which there was not much to say. We more or less knew how we had to play them because we had worked on it for several days.”
“It was a very emotional talk, sometimes we laughed because Leo Scaloni cries a lot. When he cries, poor guy, he can’t talk. He gets very emotional and made the others talk a bit. Mati Manna, Walter (Samuel), the whole coaching staff talked a bit and it was a nice moment as a group to live it.”
He also spoke about the day of the final itself:
“The day of the final, I saw myself there and I knew I was playing, it was very special. Not feeling nervous, I enjoyed it twice as much.
“There is not much to think about before going out on the pitch. I listened to Dibu shouting and visualized what could happen in the match.”
“I was very lucky. I didn’t feel nervous, that pressure. Ever since I was playing with the youth teams, I was getting nervous. But that month, I didn’t feel it. I really enjoyed the day to day with my team mates.”
“We really enjoyed the final. We felt very identified with the coach’s idea: To put the ball on the ground, whether in the World Cup final or a friendly match.”
The World Cup winner commented on his friendship with Nicolás González:
“Nico González was very unlucky. He is my friend, we played together at Argentinos Juniors and we shared a room. I lost that person who I relied on in the camp.
“He did everything to be there. I had to be with him crying, talking to his family. He really wanted to stay with us and every one said yes. When he came for the final, it was something very special for me.”
