Is there anything else?
Shortly before the World Cup final in Qatar (4:2 against France), Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi (35) announced his retirement from the tournament.
He told the Olé newspaper at the time: “It’s four years until the next World Cup and I don’t think it will be enough for me. Ending it this way is for the best. I end my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final. Everything I’ve experienced at this World Cup is very exciting, both what the fans are experiencing here and how the people of Argentina are enjoying it.”
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Plain text: no Messi participation in the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
But now it sounds completely different again. In another interview with “Olé”, the PSG superstar says: “I don’t know what will happen to me in the next four years. I absolutely love playing football and as long as I feel good and enjoy the sport I will continue. Of course it’s a long time until the next World Cup. A lot can happen…”
Sounds like a backdoor for the 2026 tournament
Also, Messi spoke to the Argentinian journalists he received at his home in Paris about…
► … his souvenirs from the World Cup final: “I kept everything. The shoes, the shirts, the cape. In March I will take things to Barcelona where the other memorabilia of my career are.”
► … his conversation with final loser Kylian Mbappé (24) at PSG: “Actually, I didn’t want to talk about it because I know myself how it feels to lose a World Cup final (2014 against Germany/d.Red.). But then we did talk briefly about the game and the celebrations in Argentina.”
► … the song “Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a ilusionar” that Argentina fans sang in the stadiums and at the World Cup celebrations. It’s about the longing for the country’s third World Cup title: “Even fans from other countries were infected by the song. I don’t want the lyrics to be changed after we get the title. Because I like the original version best. My kids sing them all the time.”
► … the parade by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez (30) against Randal Kolo Muani (24) when the score was 3: 3 shortly before the end of extra time: “It happened so quickly that I didn’t even notice it on the pitch. Also because we had a counterattack straight away. But when I saw the scene on TV afterwards, I really suffered.”
