Thiago Motta: "We’re Looking Forward to the Club World Cup with Curiosity. Messi? I Remember His Debut. I Thought: He's Afraid. I Was Wrong…"
The Club World Cup is approaching, and Thiago Motta spoke to FIFA's channels about it.
WORLD CUP - "It’s going to be amazing. Participating with a team like Juventus and having the chance to face the best teams in the world is a great privilege for us. We’ll try to approach it in the best possible way, aiming to reach our peak by the time we get to this competition. There’s still some time left, and I keep imagining what it could mean to play in such a tournament."
NEW EXPERIENCE - "It’s something new, but it’s a wonderful novelty. Bringing together the best teams in the world is exciting and motivating. Since it’s new, it’s something that could surprise us and sparks curiosity to understand what that moment could be like. Even now, as we prepare properly, we are ready to face everything."
MESSI - "I immediately think of his debut, against Juventus. I believe it was during the Gamper Trophy, at the start of the season with Barcelona. You could already see his great quality, his fantastic skills. He had come up from the youth ranks, and even in training, you could see his enormous potential. Huge. There were other players with great talent who joined the first team, but playing for Barcelona means managing other things too—especially the mental side, with so much pressure. Watching him during the warm-up in that match, three or four of us were saying, 'Look at him, he’s strong, but he seems a bit scared.' We got it all wrong!
He was so calm and composed during the warm-up, and our perception was that he was afraid. But when the referee blew the whistle to start the match… what a game he played. I also remember Capello afterward… Messi showed everyone that he could replicate in matches what he did in training. Actually, he couldn’t do some of the things in training that he managed to do in games against teams like Juventus or Real Madrid. He was completely different from the others who came up from the youth ranks. He wasn’t just strong; he knew how to handle pressure. In fact, he thrived under it."
PAST EXPERIENCES - "I’ve always enjoyed it. Whether it was my first season or later, in the U.S., the atmosphere was always perfect for playing. People come with enthusiasm and a desire to see teams play. With such an important tournament, representing such a prestigious team as ours and with the many fans we have, it will undoubtedly be an advantage, a privilege. We hope to satisfy all those who will come to the stadium to watch the team."
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