Lionel
Messi: Argentina forward says Qatar 2022 will 'surely' be his last World Cup
Lionel Messi says
November's World Cup in Qatar will "surely" be his last.
The 35-year-old Paris St-Germain forward has
played at four World Cups with Argentina, scoring six goals and making five
assists in 19 appearances.
He earned a runners-up medal in 2014, and
after captaining his country to the Copa America title in 2021, the World Cup
is the sole major trophy missing from Messi's illustrious collection.
"It's my last World Cup, surely," he
said.
Speaking to ESPN, Messi added: "I'm counting down
the days to the World Cup. There is anxiety and nerves at the same time.
Wanting it to be now, what is going to happen, and ultimately, how is it going
to go?"
Messi made his international debut in 2005 and
has gone on to make a total of 164 appearances for Argentina, scoring 90 goals.
In reaching his fifth World Cup, he will
surpass the previous record for an Argentina player he jointly held with Diego
Maradona and Javier Mascherano.
Argentina are ranked third in the Fifa world
rankings, and face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland in Group C at the World Cup,
which starts on 20 November.
"In a World Cup, anything can happen. All
the matches are very tough. The favourites don't always end up winning,"
Messi said.
"I don't know if we're the favourites,
but Argentina is always a candidate because of its history. Now even more so
because of the moment we're in, but we are not the favourites. I think there
are other teams that are above us."
