Igor Kolyvanov, a renowned former Russian footballer who wore the national colors in 35 matches and found the back of the net 12 times, now leads Tekstilshchik Ivanovo as head coach. He remarked that Argentina’s captain wished for Lionel Messi to lift the World Cup trophy.
In a candid chat with a correspondent from socialbites.ca, Kolyvanov explained that his personal support does not align with Argentina as a team, yet his sympathy for Messi runs deep. He emphasized that Messi has been delivering elite performances for decades, from childhood through a long, storied career, and deserves to be crowned world champion at the age of 35.
Kolyvanov further stressed that lifting the World Cup would complete Messi’s illustrious journey and solidify his legacy on football’s grand stage.
He noted that the World Cup stands as the pinnacle prize for every footballer. His message was simple: become the world champion. The veteran coach added, spectators will soon witness how Messi capitalizes on this opportunity.
Looking ahead to the semi finals, Argentina faces Croatia on December 13 at 22:00 Moscow time. The following day, at the same hour, the other semi final features France squaring off against Morocco.
Evgeny Lovchev, once a member of the USSR squad and Spartak Moscow, offered thoughts on Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance at the Qatar World Cup and why it did not meet expectations for the Portugal captain.