Nadal: “When Messi scored the third goal tears came to my eyes”

Argentina won its third World Cup this Sunday after an epic and heart-stopping match with France that ended 3-3 and ended up on penalties. A historic match that consecrated Messi in the competition he most wanted to win.

Rafael Nadal, the greatest Grand Slam winner of all time, told how Leo’s goal moved him to the point of crying: “When Messi scored the third goal I was in tears. The emotion of seeing someone so great achieve what this was missing and that he had suffered so much to achieve it“.

The star born in Mallorca told how he lived the final: “It was a spectacular match. I’m sorry for the many French friends I have and for all that Paris and France mean to me. But I also have many Argentine friends and in that sense, as a lover and nostalgic of sport, that Messi lifted the World Cup made me happy“

“That someone so great culminates with a title that was missing, of this caliber, with all that it means for Argentina, it seemed fair to me, I enjoyed it and I was moved. I really enjoyed the final, especially from minute 70 onward, which was spectacular. Before it seemed that everything was very easy, controlled for Argentina,” Nadal told the Spanish outlet AS.

The tennis player not only gave his opinion on the World Cup final, he also gave his point of view on Mbappé and how he sees the Real Madrid season. “As a Madrid fan, if I could, come tomorrow. In the end, things happen in sport and I suppose such a young boy was overwhelmed by such tremendous pressure from all angles that in the end… I think he wanted to come to Madrid, but due to many factors, everything was very complicated for him.” .

“I would like Kylian to be there this year, but even so, Madrid is in a privileged position in all competitions, playing fantastic football for me. And until the last three games before the break, everything was going smoothly. I think Madrid has a great team, with a coach who knows how to manage everything in the best possible way,” he added.

This week, Rafa Nadal once again achieved a new record. The Spaniard became the first tennis player in history to belong to the Top 10 of the ATP Ranking for 900 consecutive weeksthat is to say that Rafa spent more than 17 years as one of the 10 best tennis players on the planet, an achievement that previously belonged to American Jimmy Connors with 788.

The Spanish crack defined how he lived his year on the pitches: “At the tennis level, while I was good, it was incredible. That’s the reality. If we only value the tennis issue, it has been spectacular. What happens is that it is also difficult to take out of the tennis context all the problems that I have been having. Until I broke my rib, in Indian Wells, in the semifinals against Carlos (Alcaraz) I hadn’t lost a match.”

“And I have a thorn in the year that is Wimbledon. I think that since I won in 2010, the last time, I had never been in such a good position. I broke it again at the US Open, but hey. You have to put everything in context. After 2021, with the last five months without being able to play and 36 years old, winning two Grand Slams and finishing two in the world, I think that in the end he has a great season”, concluded Rafa