Lionel Messi has confirmed that there will be no sixth World Cup appearance for him. “This will definitely be my last World Cup,” said the 35-year-old Argentine at a press conference in Doha ahead of the South Americans’ opening game.
This Tuesday (11:00 a.m. CET/MagentaTV) Messi and his teammates will face off against outsiders Saudi Arabia. The other group opponents are Mexico and Poland.
For Messi it is the fifth World Cup after 2006 in Germany (quarter-finals against Germany), 2010 in South Africa (quarter-finals against Germany), 2014 in Brazil (final defeat against Germany) and 2018 in Russia (round of 16 against France).
Coach Lionel Scaloni had recently expressed hope that Messi would play another World Cup after Qatar.
The 44-year-old had said to the broadcaster “CNN Radio Argentina”: “It may be the last one, I hope not.”
Messi is happy when he’s on the pitch and Messi in turn makes a lot of people happy, Scaloni explained.