Lionel Messi compared the feeling of winning the World Cup to the birth of his children

O n December 18, 2022, the Argentina national soccer team made history after a 36-year drought by winning the FIFA World Cup .

This achievement was not only a source of joy for all Argentine fans, but also for Lionel Messi , the team's captain, who had been denied the trophy for years. Ahead of a new edition of the event, the Inter Miami star spoke about it .

Messi compared the feeling of winning the World Cup to the birth of his children.

Messi was the guest of honor at the American Business Forum , where the mayor of Miami presented him with the " key to the city ," an honorary distinction.

There, Leo relived that final against Kylian Mbappé's France , who was fighting for a second consecutive championship. The match ended in penalties and Argentina won the Cup. A moment that went down in soccer history and also in Lionel's heart:

With all due respect, because it has nothing to do with it, but when I won the World Cup at the professional level, I had the same feeling as when my children were born . It's a feeling that's hard to explain, it's so special and so big that anything I say falls short.

Leo shares three sons with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo : Thiago (13), the eldest, born in November 2012; Mateo (10), the middle child, born in September 2015; and Ciro (7), the youngest, born in March 2018.

During the interview, Leo also tried to explain the mixture of satisfaction, fulfillment, and joy he felt at that moment, referring to the massive celebrations by fans in Argentina:

" The way the country celebrated showed how much we needed and wanted this to happen again after so long. For me, it was special; winning the World Cup is the ultimate. After the World Cup, you can't ask for anything more, " said the number 10.

The Argentine captain also spoke about the next World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and what he expects from this competition, where he will defend the title: " I have very high expectations that the World Cup will be something extraordinary, " he said.

In less than a year, the World Cup will be played again, but Lionel Messi has already warmed up the atmosphere.