Lionel Messi's Honest Reply To Novak Djokovic's Question On Dealing With Pressure
Argentine football icon Lionel Messi and tennis superstar Novak Djokovic had an interaction during the Fanatics Fest event in Manhattan, New York, on Friday.
- "Leo, how did you learn to block out pressure and stay true to your playing style?" asked Novak Djokovic
- Messi replied, "I never thought too much about pressure. I always saw it as something natural"
- "I learned that you lose much more than you win. Understanding that helped me grow as a person and player"
Argentine football icon Lionel Messi and tennis superstar Novak Djokovic had an interaction during the Fanatics Fest event in Manhattan, New York, on Friday ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. The 24-time Grand Slam champion had a simple question for the Argentina captain: "Leo, how did you learn to block out pressure and stay true to your playing style?" Messi came up with an honest answer that reflected the mentality of the defending champions, who are only one win away from clinching a second consecutive title.
Messi said, "I never thought too much about pressure. I always saw it as something natural: going out to play, enjoy, and compete. We are highly competitive and always want to win, but we also understand that this is a sport, that the opponent also plays, and that winning is not always possible."
"Over time, I learned that you lose much more than you win. Understanding that helped me grow as a person and as a player," he added.
The lineup of sports legends simultaneously on the stage at Fanatics Fest was almost absurd. There was Tom Brady, the greatest Super Bowl champion of all time. There was Novak Djokovic, the winner of more men's Grand Slam tennis tournaments than anyone else. There was Kevin Durant, the only four-time Olympic gold medallist in men's basketball history.
And before they left, they all got a selfie with Lionel Messi.
Let that be the latest proof of Messi's power: Even the biggest stars in the sports universe clearly enjoy a chance to be around the best football player of all time. They'll all be watching Sunday, along with probably 1.5 billion other people worldwide, when Messi and Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final.
"We will give it our all," Messi said.
The star-studded news conference was expected to be Messi's last public appearance before Sunday's final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. FIFA decided to use Fanatics Fest, a four-day celebration of sports in New York, replete with autograph signings and celebrity appearances, as the backdrop for its preview news conferences, meaning hundreds of people got the chance to catch a glimpse of Messi in the sort of setting not usually open to the public.
(With AP Inputs)
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