Spain and Argentina will face off on Sunday night (July 19, 10:00 p.m.) in the grand final of this year’s World Cup!

The captain of “La Roja,” Rodri, spoke ahead of the big match, praising Lionel Messi and heaping praise on “La Albiceleste,” while also expressing his conviction that this generation of players on the Spanish national team will be remembered forever!

Here is what he said in detail: “We

are on a path of gradual development. We have seen the team mature over the past few years. I believe, as I have said before, that this generation will be talked about for years to come. This is the pinnacle of a player’s career: winning the World Cup. We demonstrated this on a smaller scale with the Nations League, then with the European Championship, and now we’re in the World Cup final. I believe that, like all teams, we have our strengths and weaknesses. But we’re a very well-rounded team—one that’s hard to beat. We proved that in the tournament, having conceded only one goal.”

On the final: “Making it to the final on Sunday was our main goal. Our goal was to win the World Cup, and we knew we could do it. It’s the perfect test to see if we can win the World Cup against an opponent who’s in top form. I’ve already told my teammates that it’s more important to want the win than to fear defeat. There’s always a desire to improve, to take a step forward.”

On Messi: “There are no words to describe what kind of player he is and how important he is to Argentina. He is the greatest player of all time. He led them to the World Cup in Qatar, and now they’re in the final. But Messi isn’t the only one on Argentina’s team. There are many others as well.”

On Argentina: “They’re a very competitive team, capable of overcoming adversity. You have to have the desire to win the World Cup; you have to have ambition. We were very consistent throughout the tournament; we managed to come out on top.”

*photo source: AP