The former goalkeeper of the French national team praised the Argentine footballers and expressed his sympathy for Racing
His connection with Argentinians and his fondness for Racing
The footballer with the most appearances in the history of the French national team (145 matches) shared how his affinity for the Avellaneda club arose: "In Nice I met Franco Dolci, and then in Lyon 'Chelito' Delgado and Lisandro López. With 'Licha' we have a very special relationship, we spent a lot of time together... drinking mate and watching Racing... I'm a fan of La Academia because of him".
Hugo Lloris, current goalkeeper for Los Ángeles FC, stated that Lionel Messi is “unique” and “incomparable”, highlighted Dibu Martínez's “personality” and confessed his fondness for Racing in Argentina, during an interview with Cristian Grosso in La Nación.
The European, world champion in Russia 2018 and runner-up in Qatar 2022, highlighted Messi and avoided any comparison with Kylian Mbappé: "Is Mbappé similar to Messi? No,Messi is unique. It's absolutely impossible to compare him with anyone". He also acknowledged that he prepares in a special way to face him in the Concachampions quarterfinals and considered that Argentina will have him in the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada: "I don't see Argentina without Messi in the next World Cup. I think it will be with Messi. He still plays and enjoys football. We want to keep seeing him on the field".
Regarding the Rosario star, he also surprised with a certain comment: "I have a lot of admiration for 'Leo'. For me, he's at the top of the list of the best players, without a doubt. I'm from the generation that could see and play against Messi". Additionally, the 38-year-old goalkeeper explained why he never dared to ask the Inter Miami captain for his jersey: "It makes me a little uncomfortable. I never had the chance to keep his jersey".
He also praised Emiliano Martínez: "He has a great personality on and off the field. In penalties, he's one of the best, if not the best, he defends his goal, his country, and his club. But he's not only good at penalties, he's a great goalkeeper and has been fantastic in the Premier League with Aston Villa and decisive with Argentina to win trophies. To celebrate championships, you have to be a great goalkeeper. He has everything to be one of the best, or the best goalkeeper in Argentina's history".
He also highlighted his experience with Argentine footballers he met in England and recalled his time at Tottenham: "At Tottenham, I met many Argentinians. With Mauricio Pochettino, who is more than a coach, we're friends and we keep in touch. Also with Paulo Gazzaniga, Juan Foyth, 'Coco' Lamela, one of my best friends in football... And of course with Gio Lo Celso and 'Cuti' Romero. I can only speak well of all of them. They're very good people, I'm very grateful to have met them".
Opinions on Qatar 2022
Finally, Lloris reviewed the Qatar 2022 World Cup final against Argentina: "It can't be rewritten. The match was very demanding for everyone and the best team won. If Argentina won, it's because they deserved it. We were close, but we lost very important players for us at that time, like Paul Pogba, Ngolo Kanté, and Karim Benzema. We believe the French were happy with our effort. Ideally, for us, it would have been better if the World Cup had been played a little earlier to not lose those who got injured".
