Messi has already said publicly that this was his last World Cup, but Jorge Valdano, a former player and current commentator and columnist, made an unexpected admission during the program. COPE Party, leaving in the air the possibility that the player can still play at the 2026 World Cup
“When I interviewed him before the World Cup, later from, told him that he would play in five World Cups and that no football player had participated in six. And he said to me: ‘if I’m world champion, I’ll keep my shirt on until the next World Cup'”.
On the same show, Valdano confessed that he experienced Sunday’s final against France with “more excitement” than the one he played against Germany in 1986. “When you play on the field you release more pressure. The final against France was a huge tension, it was a great match,” he said, still praising coach Lionel Scaloni: “Becoming world champion in your first experience seems like something to me extraordinary. He was always discreet, gave the stage to the players and made great decisions, betting on players like Enzo Fernández, Julian Álvarez and Mac Allister, who practically did not exist six months ago.”
Finally, he was asked about the eternal question of who is better, Messi or Maradona. “The similarity between them is that they are two geniuses. The difference is that Maradona was in his physical fullness in 1986 (he was 26 years old). And Messi had to show all his genius and wisdom at the age of 35. At the time, we could see that we were facing a player of the highest level. They are two geniuses who have each defined their time. But Messi has been doing it for 20 years.”
Source: DN
