Lionel Messi has revealed that he has played his last World Cup after helping Argentina win the FIFA most prestigious award in December 2022.
Messi recently joined David Beckham’s MLS team Inter Miami after being heavily linked with a return to Barcelona or moving to Saudi Arabia.
Messi cooled expectations over the possibility of playing in the tournament in North America, even though fans are looking forward to seeing him in action in 2026.
The Argentine was asked by Efe News Agency about playing in the next edition of the World Cup and he responded: “I think not. [Qatar] was my last World Cup.”
“I’ll see how things go, but as it is right now, no, I won’t go to the next World Cup.”
Lionel Messi, 35, scored seven goals and three assists helping Argentina win the third World Cup title in their history in December 2023.
Recently, a lot of football fans have suggested that the success in December last year could affect the Ballon d’Or voting later this year.
Messi has been tipped to win the award this year, however, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has been phenomenal too this season, helping City win a historic Treble.
As quoted by Titan Sports, Messi revealed that: “Does the Ballon d’Or matter to me? No, it’s no longer important to me.”
“I’ve always said, the individual prizes are not what matters to me, but the collective ones are the most important. The most important prize at the moment is the World Cup, the greatest prize for me.”
The FIFA World Cup is set to be held across America, Canada and Mexico, miles away from most football superstars but quite close to Lionel Messi.
“I’m not going back to Barça, I’m going to Inter Miami,” Messi said in an interview with Mundo Deportivo over the move.
“I made the decision that I’m going to go to Miami. I still haven’t closed it one hundred percent. I’m missing some things but we decided to continue on the path.”
“If the Barcelona thing didn’t come out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more in my family,” Lionel Messi concluded.
Messi who will hit 36 years later this month, previously ruled out a move to the US after his family set their heart on a return to Barcelona.
But due to the financial issues faced by the Spanish giants, he had to snub a second stint at his childhood club.
Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal also offered a mouth-watering contract to Lionel Messi but he opted for the move to MLS.
Aside from the various benefits of the contract, Messi’s family had a house in Miami and preferred to move there than join a Saudi side in a deal worth $214m a season for two campaigns with an option for an extra year.
Lionel Messi ending his illustrious international career with two major trophies – World Cup and Copa America – will be the highlight of his career.
