Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina, stated on Thursday that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will “definitely” be his final competition.
“It’s my last World Cup, surely. I feel good physically, I was able to do a very good pre-season this year, which I couldn’t do last year. It was essential to get to where I am, with a good state of mind and a lot of hope,” the 35-year-old told ESPN Argentina.
Messi, who will play in his fifth World Cup, made his international debut for Argentina in 2005. Since then, he has earned 164 caps for the team and is the all-time leading scorer with 90 goals.
Messi acknowledged in the interview that he was anxious about the upcoming competition in Qatar. The interview took place in Paris, where Messi represents Paris Saint-Germain.
“There is anxiety, nerves about the World Cup,” he said. “We can’t wait for it to start.”
Messi made his international debut in 2005 as a substitute against Hungary, but he only played for two minutes before he was dismissed. Nevertheless, he quickly became a member of the national team, and in 2006, he went to Germany for his first World Cup.
Later, he participated in the tournaments held in South Africa in 2010, Brazil in 2014, where Argentina advanced to the final, and Russia in 2018.
The current team, led by Lionel Scaloni, has gone 35 games without a loss and is expected to be one of the pre-tournament favorites for the tournament in Qatar.
“We have reached a good moment, with a very well-equipped and very strong group, but anything can happen,” said Messi. “All the games are very difficult. The favourites are not always the ones who end up winning or taking the path that one expected.
“Argentina is always a candidate because of its history and what it means. But we are not the only favourites, there are other teams that are above us.”
