NEW YORK - Lionel Messi shared a World Cup final preview stage with Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic and Kevin Durant at Fanatics Fest on Friday, bringing stars from four sports together before Argentina's title match against Spain.
The event ended with the athletes taking a group selfie, a moment that reflected Messi's reach beyond soccer. The Argentina captain said his team would give everything in Sunday's final at East Rutherford, New Jersey, in what was expected to be his last public appearance before the match.
FIFA used the four-day New York sports festival as the setting for its preview news conferences. Unlike a traditional media session, the format allowed hundreds of fans to watch while prominent athletes asked questions of players and coaches from Argentina and Spain.
Sports champions directed the questions
Brady asked Messi about the widely shared photograph of him with Spain star Lamine Yamal when Yamal was a baby. Djokovic focused on how Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and Messi handle pressure, while Durant asked goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez what consecutive World Cup titles would mean to the team.
Djokovic also spoke with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente and captain Rodri about remaining calm in major moments. Rodri described Messi's importance to Argentina and placed him among the greatest players in the sport's history.
The unusual format gave the two finalists a public stage without changing the stakes. Scaloni sought to frame the final as one more match, even as the crowd's reaction to Messi showed how much attention surrounds Argentina's attempt to retain the trophy.
Argentina's perfect record required several comebacks
Argentina enters the final with a 7-0-0 record, the only team left without a loss or draw. Spain is 6-0-1 after opening the tournament with a draw against Cape Verde.
The defending champion's record does not mean its route was easy. Argentina recovered from a 1-0 second-half deficit to defeat England in the semifinals and came back from two goals down against Egypt in the round of 16.
Argentina also needed extra time against Cape Verde in the round of 32 and Switzerland in the quarterfinals. Messi said the team's defining quality has been its refusal to stop fighting, a theme that remained central to the final preview.
Martinez emphasized the daily work of Argentina's players and coaches and their goal of bringing another celebration to the country. No men's national team has won consecutive World Cups since Brazil captured the 1958 and 1962 titles.
The festival appearance closed with players, coaches and other guests gathering for a photograph as fans filled the background with raised phones. The public show is over; Argentina and Spain now move to the match that will decide whether the defending champion completes a historic repeat.