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US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) praised Argentine star Lionel Messi, saying that it is hard to bet against him and also described him as one of the legends of the sport as Spain and Argentina face each other in the 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026.
He made the remarks in an interview with Fox Sports. When asked for a prediction on who is set to be crowned as the victor for the FIFA World Cup Final being played between Spain and Argentina, Trump steered away from taking sides, but told Fox Sports, "I hate to get involved, even though politically, it doesn't matter so much. The head of Argentina is a friend of mine. He's done a terrific job. But I would say that it's hard to bet against Messi." The US President praised Messi's recent performances, highlighting his vision and precision on the field. "I watched that pass... It was exactly perfect... I also watched just before that, the way he got away from the defender. All of a sudden he's standing by himself and he kicked it perfectly and it's hard to bet against him. So I won't pick sides. I just think it's very hard to bet against Messi. He's great." Asked where Messi ranks among the greatest footballers of all time, Trump placed him alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazilian legend Pele. "I think he's (Messi) great and Ronaldo's great... I've watched Pele when he was with the Cosmos, and he was fantastic... These are great players." Trump also mentioned France's star players among the game's elite In a light-hearted moment, he compared his life with those of the footballers and said he would like to swap places with them for a month or so. "I've always liked Ronaldo. I've always liked Messi. I've met Messi just recently. And I have known Cristiano, and they have a pretty good life. Much easier than my life. I'd like to switch for about a month or so," Trump told Fox News. The two countries are playing against each other, set to claim the ultimate glory in front of a crowd of over 80,000, as per the official website of FIFA. It noted that while Spain is appearing in its second Final, being the World Cup winners in 2010, Argentina is looking to lift the Trophy for a fourth time following triumphs in 1978, 1986 and 2022 - also appearing in the 1930, 1990 and 2014 Finals. As per the website, the sides have only met once previously at the World Cup, when Argentina won 2-1 in 1966. (ANI)
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