Messi can decide his own future in Argentina
"Messi will continue to be in the Argentina team until he says otherwise. I see him happy on the pitch and in the dressing room," Scaloni said before a friendly against Panama on the evening of April 23. .
There was once information that Messi would break up after the 2022 World Cup. However, he quickly denied, even leaving open the possibility of attending the 2026 World Cup taking place in Canada, the US and Mexico. According to coach Scaloni, Messi is still physically fit to play for Argentina despite being 35 years old.
Messi holds the record of scoring 98 goals for the team. If he scores at least two more goals in this rally, he will become the first Argentina international to hit the triple-digit mark. If he scores only one goal, Messi will also increase the achievement for all teams to 800 goals. Besides Argentina, he has scored 672 goals for Barca and 29 goals for PSG. Currently, Cristiano Ronaldo is leading with 828 goals.
On March 21, thousands of fans gathered at the airport in Buenos Aires to welcome Messi back. The PSG striker is considered a national hero when bringing the World Cup back to this South American country after 36 years. In the tournament in Qatar last year, Messi contributed seven goals - just one less than top scorer Kylian Mbapee. "I congratulate Messi. He deserves everyone's love. Messi and every Argentinian player deserve to go out and get that love from the fans because they haven't had a chance to live with it yet," the coach said. born in 1978 said.
While encouraging his students to receive love from fans, Scaloni warned them to avoid complacency. He believes that football has its own rules and the world champion, like other teams, has no priority when entering matches. "The message I want to send to the players is that a new journey will begin and we must respect the rules of the field," he said.
The match against Panama is seen as an opportunity for Argentina to continue to celebrate the World Cup championship in 2022. A festival is expected to include a video of the cup lifting scene and live music in praise of Messi and his teammates. .
After this match, Argentina will continue to play a friendly match at home against Curacao on March 27.
Argentina will play a qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup from September 2023 to September 2025. The final round will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. In 2024, they will also attend the Copa America in the US as defending champions.
