BEIJING, China- The captain of the Argentine soccer team, Lionel Messi, said Tuesday that it is not in his plans to participate in the next edition of the World Cup, which will be held in Mexico, the United States and Canada in 2026.
“I think not. This was my last World Cup. I’ll see how things go, but in principle no, I won’t go to the next World Cup,” said the Argentine star in an interview with the Chinese sports media Titan Sports.
In the conversation held on the official account of the sports magazine on the Chinese short video application Kuaishou, the recent signing of Inter Miami answered current questions of interest to Chinese fans, of whom he said: “They have always been good with us”.
Messi stated that he was able to see the Champions League final won by Manchester City despite the time difference in the Asian giant, and stated that Pep Guardiola, with whom he maintains “frequent contact”, after the continental title has shown that “he is the best coach in the world”.
A position that Messi does not aspire to in the future, although he left an open door by emphasizing that “it is not clear” if his thoughts will not change.
The Albiceleste striker also wanted to highlight his “close relationship” with Barcelona, although he said that for him “it is rare to see” that without being present they shout his name, while also considering it “something beautiful.”
Messi is in China with the Argentine team, current world champion, where he will play his last two friendlies before the qualifying qualifiers for the World Cup between the United States, Mexico and Canada against Australia in Beijing, next Thursday, and against Indonesia in Jakarta on the 19th.
The Albiceleste’s duel against the ‘Socceroos’ will be the reissue of the confrontation they had on December 3 at the Ahmad bin Ali stadium in Al-Rayyan in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar 2022, in which Lionel’s team Scaloni won 2-1 with goals from Messi and Julián Álvarez, and with many difficulties.
