Argentina captain Lionel Messi has stated that Qatar 2022 will “certainly” be his final World Cup, implying that his retirement from international football is imminent.
Leo will be 39 during the 2026 World Cup, which Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico will host. Messi owns the Argentine records for caps (164) and goals (90), and last year’s Copa America final triumph against Brazil ended his long wait for a major title on the international stage.
What has Messi said about his retirement?
Messi of Paris Saint-Germain hopes to capitalise on his success in Qatar this winter, and Argentina, which is 35 games undefeated, will embark to the Middle East with strong claims.
La Albiceleste were defeated in the 2014 World Cup final by Germany, and Mess has stated that this year’s tournament will be his sixth and final chance to win the championship for the first time since 1986.
According to Argentine site TN, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner told Latin American streaming provider Star+, “If it is my last World Cup? Yes, surely yes, surely yes. I feel good physically, I can have a very good pre-season this year that I hadn’t done the year before because of how everything went, I started training late, playing without rhythm, with the tournament already started, then I went to the national team, when I came back I had an injury and I never finished starting”.
Messi looks to be hitting form just in time for the World Cup, having also contributed seven assists. However, he says that nerves are starting to take over as he prepares for his final opportunity at world glory.
Leo further added, “I am counting the days for the World Cup,” he added. “The truth is, there is a little anxiety of wanting it to be now and the nerves of saying, ‘well, we’re here, what’s going to happen, it’s the last one, how is it going to go’. And, yes, on the one hand we can’t wait for it to arrive, and on the other the s*** of wanting it to go fine”.
Will Messi make a return to FC Barcelona?
PSG intends to keep the Argentina international and use him alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for the foreseeable future. However, rumours have begun to circulate that Messi may return to Barcelona, especially now that they have resolved some of their financial issues.
Messi said that last season was difficult for him as he adjusted to life with PSG after a heartbreaking departure from Barcelona. The Rosario native only scored six goals in his first Ligue 1 season, but he is already on track to surpass that total this time around, with five goals in nine outings.
