i wanted to take my time and truly let it all settle before i wrote this. honestly, i can’t really put into words how i feel about all of it. there was a brief moment where, despite how confident i was in my team, i thought this might be the day i had to say goodbye to messi in an argentina shirt. and that thought broke something in me. this is the same messi who changed my life, especially my love for football. i think i was in denial that one day we’d have to let this chapter end, and even now, it still hasn’t fully reached my heart. but wow. what a privilege it has been to witness this. at 39 years old, he’s going back to back in a world cup final. somehow, people have made an achievement like that feel ordinary because it’s messi. the hate, the agendas, the constant attempts to diminish him have made greatness feel expected. but it isn’t. one day, we’ll look back and realize we were watching something we’ll probably never see again. whether you love him or hate him, you were lucky enough to exist at the same time as this version of lionel messi. and then there’s the poetry of it all. as a culer, my two worlds are meeting in a world cup final. a true la masia final. instead of spending the morning sick with nerves, i get to simply appreciate the football. and if this really is his final world cup, how fitting that the last hurdle is a team filled with barcelona players who grew up idolizing him, players who would have given everything to share a pitch with him in blaugrana. some stories just feel written long before they happen. more than anything, i hope he walks off that pitch feeling at peace. whether he lifts the trophy or not, this already feels like a beautiful ending. i’ve dreaded the day i’d have to say thank you and goodbye to messi for as long as i can remember. but if this is how his world cup story ends, i honestly couldn’t have imagined a more poetic one.