On Sunday, Lionel Messi finally reached the summit of his sport.
Messi scored twice, helping Argentina capture the World Cup in a thrilling victory over France, which needed penalty kicks to decide a winner. While Messi has already announced that this year’s World Cup would be his last, Sunday’s career-defining milestone won’t be the final time he represents his country in international play.
Speaking with TyC Sports (h/t The Sporting News), Messi revealed that he’s not retiring from Argentina, planning to continue his career with the national team for a bit longer.
“I love football, what I do. I enjoy being in the national team, the group,” Messi said.” I want to continue for a few more games being world champion.”
It’s unclear how long Messi will continue playing for Argentina, but manager Lionel Scaloni told reporters on Sunday that the team needs to “save him a spot for the World Cup 2026.”
“If he wants to keep playing, he will be with us,” Scaloni said. “I think he is more than entitled to decide whether he wants to keep playing or what he wants to do with his career.”
If this is it for Messi playing in the World Cup, he’ll walk away having played more games in the tournament than anyone else, making an astounding 26 appearances.
