Lionel Messi has stated that he will not participate in the 2026 World Cup with the Argentina national team, as they aim to defend the title they won in Qatar in December 2022.
The 35-year-old forward played a pivotal role in guiding Argentina to their third World Cup triumph in history, ending a 35-year drought since Diego Maradona led the team to victory in 1986.
As reported by Goal, Messi, who will be 39 years old during the 2026 World Cup, has announced that the 2022 tournament was his final one with Argentina, indicating his decision not to be involved in their quest to defend the championship.
“I think not. This was my last World Cup. I’ll see how things go, but not in principle, I won’t go to the next World Cup.”
Messi is Argentina’s all-time goal scorer and records the highest appearance for the Copa America defending champions with 174 caps and 102 goals for Argentina.
Messi makes Ballon d’Or claim
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has revealed winning the Ballon d’Or does not matter to him at this stage of his career when quizzed in a recent interview about the award, Daily Post reports.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland are among the top contenders to challenge for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or wins for an individual with six awards and could extend that feat if he wins the 2023 edition.
Updated Ballon d’Or 2023 rankings
Earlier, Sports Brief reported captaining his country and starring at the World Cup at 35 years, finally winning the trophy that eluded him in his illustrious career, saw Lionel Messi complete a romantic football moment.
After the Qatar triumph, it looked like he was a stroll for his record eighth Ballon d’Or title, only for Haaland’s heroics in that Manchester City super team to turn a solid argument into a debate.
Apart from the World Cup, the Argentine has also scored 38 times and provided 25 assists in all competitions.