Pep Guardiola called Nicolás Otamendi last year, after Argentina won in the quarterfinals of the World Cup against the Netherlands, following the incredible comeback by the Dutch team in the final stage.
Next Saturday marks exactly one year since the Netherlands, after two goals by Wout Weghorst, forced extra time but ultimately lost to Argentina in the penalty shootout in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Nicolás Otamendi, speaking with ESPN, reflected on that glorious World Cup and particularly the quarterfinal against the Dutch. The 35-year-old Benfica defender, who played for Manchester City from 2015 to 2020, revealed that Guardiola called him after the World Cup.
'After leading 2-0 and then drawing 2-2, it wasn't easy. Pep Guardiola called me after the World Cup to congratulate me and asked how we managed to pull off that match after giving away a 2-0 lead,' Otamendi shared. This resilience was similar to Argentina's in the World Cup final, where they bounced back after Kylian Mbappé spurred a late French comeback.
The match with the Netherlands was intense, with high tensions on both sides. Otamendi admits he's not proud of it. 'But you have to stand up for yourself. Of course, we have the individual skills to make a difference, but in football, you also have to command respect on the field.' He understood why Lionel Messi confronted Louis van Gaal after his comments. 'There was a lot of talk about him.'
Otamendi considers the match with the Netherlands, along with the group game against Mexico, as one of the most important on the way to the world title. This is partly because winning the penalty shootout against the Netherlands gave Argentina the confidence for a good outcome in the final's penalty series against France. 'We couldn't lose it; I felt it was ours. We won with penalties against the Netherlands; we believed it would turn out well.'
