Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi confirmed that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be his last. He made the revelation in a conversation with Argentine journalist Sebastián Vignolo.
"This will be my last World Cup, for sure. The decision has been made," Messi, who plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1, said. "I am counting down the days until the World Cup.”
"The truth is, there's a little anxiety, saying: 'Well, we're here, what's going to happen? It's my last one, how's it going to go?'. On one hand, I can't wait for it to arrive but I'm also desperate for it to go well," said the 35-year-old.
Argentina have had a great build-up to the Qatar 2022 World Cup, remaining unbeaten in 35 matches since 2019.
“We are at a very good moment, with a very strong group, but anything can happen at a World Cup,” he said. “All the matches are difficult, that is what makes a World Cup so special because the favourites are not always the ones who end up winning or even doing as well as you expect.
“I don't know if we are the favourites, but Argentina in itself is always a candidate for history, for what it means. We are not the favourites, I think there are other teams that are above us.”
It will be a fitting farewell in international football for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, winning the elusive World Cup trophy, having lost out narrowly to Germany in the 2014 final.
Argentina's Copa America win last year under Messi, when they defeated Brazil 1-0, has kindled hopes of a fairytale finish for the Argentine superstar.
Interestingly, Messi had quit international football once (after the Copa America final defeat to Chile in 2016). But he revoked his decision later.
