Lionel Messi confirms his retirement and says the 2022 World Cup final will be his last game with Argentina.
Argentine soccer star and captain Lionel Messi has confirmed that he will play his last World Cup game when Argentina faces France or Morocco in the final in Qatar on Sunday.
Speaking to Argentine newspaper Diario Deportivo Ole after Argentina’s victory, Messi confirmed his retirement plans and said Sunday’s summit will be his last game for the American giants.
Messi was on fire in this World Cup. He has won four Man of the Match awards and scored in five of his six games so far.
Messi beat Argentina 3-0 in the Croatian semifinal on Tuesday and will come to his 172nd match this weekend as he looks to win his first World Cup since 1986.
“I am very happy to have achieved this and complete my World Cup journey by playing my last game in the final,” Messi told Argentine outlet Diario Deportivo Ole.
“The next one is many years away and I don’t think it will come. And ending like this is the best”, added the Argentine captain.
The 35-year-old is playing his fifth World Cup, surpassing the four of Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano.
With his fifth goal in Qatar, he also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as Alviceleste’s top scorer in the World Cup, where he scored 11 times.
“Everything is fine (records), but the most important thing is to reach the goal of the group, which is the most beautiful,” added Messi. “We are one step away from a tough fight, and we are going to give everything to make it happen this time.”
Tuesday’s victory brought thousands of fans to the streets of Argentina to celebrate the sixth World Cup final for the national team.
Playing his “record” fifth FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar this year, Messi will be in the FIFA World Cup finals for the second time in his career. He also led Argentina to the final in the 2014 edition, but had to settle for second place. But this year he hopes to end the 36-year wait for his country and win his first World Cup. In the final on Sunday (December 18), Argentina will face the winner of the second semi-final between France and Morocco.