Argentine footballer Lionel Messi said on Tuesday that it is not in his plans to participate in the next edition of the World Cup, which will be played in Mexico, the United States and Canada in 2026.
“I don’t think so. This was my last. I’ll see how it goes, but basically I don’t expect to be in the next one”said in an interview with a Chinese sports newspaper, the captain of the Argentina national team, which won the World Cup in Qatar.
Lionel Messi, 35, who left Paris Saint-Germain (France) for Inter Miami (USA), also discussed winning the Champions League for Manchester City and said Pep Guardiola, with whom he maintains “frequent contact”, has show that he is “the best coach in the world”.
As for the possibility that he could become a coach in the future, the Argentine stated that it is a position that is not in his plans, although he left the door open by insisting that “it is not clear” or his thoughts will not change.
The Argentine striker also highlighted his “close relationship” with FC Barcelona, the emblem he represented for more than 20 seasons until 2020/21, and the “beautiful fact” that, even without being present, his name is being called at the stadium. .
Lionel Messi is in China with the Argentina national team to play two friendlies for the World Cup qualifiers, against Australia in Beijing next Thursday and Indonesia in Jakarta on June 19.
The duel with Australia repeats the match of the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, on December 3, at the Ahmad bin Ali stadium in Al-Rayyan, which Argentina won 2-1 with goals from Lionel Messi and Julián Alvarez and an own goal by Enzo Fernandez.
Source: DN
