Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez recalled one of his conversations with teammate Lionel Messi.
"It's a pleasure for me to play with him. I am so proud of these moments that I will tell my children and grandchildren when they grow up. But you know, when we're together, he's just one of the players in the national team. He's just Leo. That's why this group of players gets along so well.
His only goal in football was to win something with the national team. He would have traded his seven Ballon d'Ors for the Copa America. I heard him say this with the trophy in his hands as we were returning to Argentina from Brazil. Leo said: "This is the only thing I wanted in my football career". At that moment, I felt proud to have helped him realize his dream. He had won everything at the club level, but he was still missing something.
When you realize what Leo went through in his career, it's impressive. I started my career late at the highest level, but he won the World Cup at 35, while Enzo Fernandez won it at only 21! It shows us that football is very hard. Messi will be the best player in history, and he won the World Cup at only 35!" Goal quoted Martinez as saying.