Lionel Messi has announced Sunday’s World Cup final will be his final game at football’s biggest showpiece, ruling out of having another go at the 2026 tournament.
Messi, 35, had a performance for the ages in the semi-final against Croatia, scoring his side’s opener via a penalty before assisting Julian Alvarez’s third goal with a superb solo run from the halfway line.
Many thought Messi wouldn’t have such decisive runs and overall performances in him any more, but the Argentina captain is playing an outstanding tournament in Qatar, where he has already picked up four Man of the Match awards.
However, he now revealed that Sunday’s final – either against France or Morocco – will be his final World Cup match.
“I feel very happy, to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final,” he said after the game, as per ESPN.
“It’s many years for the next one and I don’t think I’ll be able to do it. And to finish like this, it’s the best.”
Messi also admitted that losing the first game to Saudi Arabia really rallied his team together and allowed them to reach their peak at the right time.
“To start in such a way in a World Cup was a blow, we did not think we would lose to Saudi Arabia. It was an acid test for this whole squad but this squad proved how strong we are,” he added.
“We won the other matches. It was very difficult what we did because every match was a final and we were aware if we did not win things would be complicated for us.
“This is a mental load because we knew things would be more complicated for us. We managed to win five finals and I hope it will be this way for the final game.
“Internally we were confident that we would make it because we know what we are capable of as a squad. We lost in the first match due to fine details but it helped us to be stronger.
“Let’s enjoy this moment. It’s great to see the joy in our fans here and in Argentina. We are going to give all that we have in the final but also need to enjoy what we achieved.
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“I am enjoying this moment a lot. We feel strong before the game even after a very long last game, the previous one wasn’t easy at all. We were tired but the group brought its energy on the pitch to face this game.”
