Luca Vildoza reflects on his connection with Messi, battles with Vassilis Spanoulis / News - Basketnews.com

Luca Vildoza describes how he experienced the World Cup final won by Argentina and recalls his duels with Vassilis Spanoulis.

Credit: Aitor Arrizabalaga/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Aitor Arrizabalaga/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Luca Vildoza was one of a handful of Argentinian basketball players who celebrated their country winning the football World Cup from afar.

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33%8,1Points made:8,1Accuracy:33,2%Place in standings:14Record max:11Record min:5Most made 3FGs:Luca VildozaTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

For the 25-year-old point guard, it was like a dream come true.

"It's awesome. The country is excited. After many years of fighting to get the cup, to finally win it, especially for [Lionel] Messi, has made everybody happy. People forgot about the economy and every single problem," Vildoza told NOVASPORTS' Dora Panteli in an interview conducted before Crvena Zvezda took on Olympiacos Piraeus for EuroLeague Round 15.

Vildoza said he watched the final between Argentina and France in his Belgrade apartment together with his new teammate, Facundo Campazzo.

"We watched the first half, and then I had to go because we had a game (editor's note: against Mega Basket). It was awesome. We were up 2-0."

Vildoza recalled that he answered a call from his girlfriend, and by the time they hung up, France and Kylian Mbappe had tied the final 2-2. That's the part of the World Cup he got to watch at home before driving to the Aleksandar Nikolic hall for the ABA league fixture.

"They scored two goals in two minutes. I was like, 'How's that possible?" I saw the extra time and the penalty shootout in the locker room. I was screaming, and I was happy. It was awesome."

Vildoza, born in 1995, admitted that he didn't get to enjoy the legendary Diego Maradona in action. However, he was lucky enough to witness the greatness of Lionel Messi, which was at full display during the recent World Cup. That doesn't mean he's not grateful for what the late football icon did back in 1986, especially in the notorious quarter-final contest vs. England.

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"Yes, Messi is more my age. But Maradona did something that nobody had done. We were at war with England then and beat them 2-1 with the hand goal. All the country felt proud. That's why Maradona's so big. But I feel more connected to Messi," Vildoza said.

In this context, it's no surprise that Vildoza took up football at a young age, as most boys in Argentina are doing.

"I played football all my childhood. My father was playing basketball, but I liked football. I wasn't that good and ended up playing basketball," Crvena Zvezda guard pointed out.

However, there's a twist here. Vildoza's idol wasn't one of the football heroes but the country's greatest basketball player.

"I had Manu Ginobili's poster on my wall," he revealed. "I was playing both sports."

Vildoza thinks "football can fix everything, all the problems you can have. As my dad says, football is more than a sport. It's about passion and a way of life."

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The Argentinian international landed in Vitoria in 2016 but made his European debut the next season, as he remained in his country playing the 2016-17 campaign on loan in LNB for Quilmes (Mar del Plata). From 2017 through 2021, Vildoza lived and played in a city which first brought the likes of Pablo Prigioni, Andres Nocioni, and Luis Scola to Europe.

Asked about the basketball players he looks up to, he admitted to being a Pablo Prigioni fan whilst adding another name to the mix.

"I was also a fan of Vassilis Spanoulis, of course. He was great. If I could come close to becoming the player Spanoulis was, it would be great," Vildoza said.

The Argentinian and the Greek did battle for only three seasons (2018-2021), but the EuroLeague legend left a long-lasting impression on Zvezda's player.

"I played against him in the last years of his career, and I couldn't guard him. I was like, "Come on, you're already old. How come I can't guard you?"

Then, I realized how good he was. I watched some videos, and I saw he was unstoppable. It will be awesome if I can have that kind of legacy in Spain and Belgrade."

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