Lionel Messi and Argentina coach reach agreement as 2026 World Cup claim emerges

Lionel Messi was integral to Argentina's World Cup occurrence successful 2022 and the 37-year-old is keen to play successful the tourney again, according to nationalist squad brag Lionel Scaloni

Lionel Messi has reached an statement astir his nationalist squad aboriginal with Argentina brag Lionel Scaloni, who revealed their prima antheral "wants to play" successful the adjacent World Cup.

The Inter Miami guardant has been instrumental successful Argentina's occurrence for years, including their caller World Cup victory, and shows nary signs of slowing down.

Although fans fearfulness the 37-year-old fable mightiness person had his last bow connected football's grandest stage, Scaloni has dished retired immoderate anticipation successful an interrogation with DSports.

Scaloni said: "The archetypal happening to accidental is that some Messi and his team-mates are alert that determination is inactive a tenable magnitude of clip left. Messi and the remainder of the squad privation to play successful the World Cup.

"But to beryllium sure, you person to fto clip walk to spot however you get there. He knows precise good what we think. I'm not worried; the lone happening I privation is for him to beryllium happy."

There is alteration connected its mode for the Argentinian nationalist squad, however, arsenic winger Angel Di Maria has called clip connected his planetary vocation aft the 2024 Copa America final. The revelation came arsenic helium and Messi, who made his Argentina debut earlier Di Maria, claimed their 5th planetary trophy unneurotic with a 1-0 triumph implicit Colombia.

In effect to Di Maria's determination to measurement down, manager Scaloni added: "When I spoke to him past time, helium was precise wide astir it. And well, it's a stage, from what helium said, that is closed. And it happened successful the champion imaginable way.

"If helium had written his film, his book, his shot story, I don't deliberation helium would person written it arsenic good arsenic this. It was a thoughtful and mature decision."

Messi's aboriginal with the nationalist squad is inactive up successful the air, but for now, the absorption is firmly acceptable connected qualifying for the adjacent World Cup. If Argentina wins their double-header against Brazil and Uruguay, past they volition person booked a spot successful the tournament, which volition instrumentality spot crossed the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Meanwhile, Messi's stint astatine Inter Miami continues, with his existent declaration owed to expire astatine the extremity of 2025. The prima does clasp an enactment to widen it by different year, perchance outlasting the upcoming World Cup.