Relaxed Messi determined to savor ‘likely’ final World Cup

By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — There’s something different about Lionel Messi at this World Cup. He’s relaxed and happy and never stopped smiling Monday in a rare appearance at a news conference before Argentina’s first match of the tournament against Saudi Arabia. The pressure appears to have been lifted off the shoulders of one of soccer’s greatest ever players. Messi says it’s because he is “a bit more mature, always trying to give my best and enjoy everything, and live this World Cup with intensity and enjoy every moment.” This will likely be the 35-year-old Messi’s last World Cup and he enters it in stellar form for Paris Saint-Germain and after helping Argentina win the Copa America title last year.