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Juventus star Angel Di Maria has claimed that the whole world was behind Lionel Messi in the FIFA World Cup final. The Argentine believes that France did not have a lot of supporters because of the PSG star.
Argentina won their first FIFA World Cup title in 36 years when they defeated France in the final. They had to win it in the penalty shootout after Kylian Mbappe's hat trick tied the game at 3-3 after extra time.
Speaking to Ole on Twitch, Di Maria admitted that he left the support of fans for Messi to win the FIFA World Cup. He claimed that the Argentine star deserved it for the career he has had so far.
He said:
"There was a world that wasn't with France and behind Argentina because of Leo. From the first day to the last, everyone wanted Leo to be world champion because he deserved it."
Messi helped turn things around for Argentina at the World Cup
Argentina lost their first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup when they faced Saudi Arabia. La Albiceleste did not get the win despite taking the lead in the first half.
However, they managed to turn things around and get a win over Mexico in the second game. Di Maria credited Messi for the win and claimed that his smart thinking helped them get behind the defense.
He said:
"We had spoken a minute before [the goal against Mexico]. He said they were dropping deep, narrow, inside [the box] and so the space in front of them would appear, to try to give it to him there. I waited for that moment to appear and gave it to him."
He added:
"And he scored a tremendous goal. I don't have words anymore. I have had the chance to play with the best player in the world at club level, and for 14 years with the national team, and for me Leo is everything."
Messi and Argentina went on to go on a stunning run to lift the trophy in Qatar. The PSG star went on to lift the Golden Ball as well, while teammates Emiliano Martinez and Enzo Fernandez won the Golden Glove and Young Player of the Tournament awards.
