Even as all of Argentina celebrates Lionel Messi's magic with the team reaching the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, the football hero has announced that Qatar will be his last World Cup outing.
Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday night to set up a final against France or Morocco, and after the match, the 35-year-old said he doesn't think he will be able to get to the next World Cup, in 2026.
“It’s my last World Cup,” said Messi. “It is impressive to end up playing a final. There’s a long way to go for the next one, there are many years and surely because of age I won’t get to it.”
Messi scored from the penalty spot to open Argentina's scoring in the semi-final against Croatia and then provided the assist for Julian Alvarez's second goal.
“It’s the sixth (World Cup) final that Argentina is going to play and I’ll have played in two. Hopefully this time it ends up another way,” he added.
Messi's opening goal on Tuesday night saw him surpass Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's leading World Cup scorer with 11 goals.
In this tournament, he has five goals and three assists as he vies for the Golden Boot award with France's Kylian Mbappe, who has five goals and two assists.
"I'm feeling well and strong in every match," Messi said. "Personally, I've felt happy at this World Cup and thankfully, I've been able to help the team."
Messi said Argentina's 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the opening match served as a wake-up call to the team.
"It was a big blow," the Paris Saint-Germain forward said. "We had a 36-game unbeaten run and nobody thought we'd lose that match. It was an acid test and since then we've played five finals. Thankfully we've been able to win all five. Losing that first game actually helped us to grow."
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