Guwahati: Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina’s football team will step down following the December 18 FIFA World Cup 2022 final. The football player himself acknowledged this after his country reached final after beating Croatia on Tuesday.
Messi was quoted by Argentine media outlet Diario Deportivo Ole saying, “I feel very happy to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final.”
“It’s many years for the next one and I don’t think I’ll be able to do it. And to finish like this, it’s the best,” he added.
It should be noted that Messia is competing in his fifth World Cup, surpassing the four he shared with Javier Mascherano and Diego Maradona. With his sixth goal in Qatar, he also eclipsed Gabriel Batistuta to become the most prolific scorer for the Albiceleste at World Cups.
It will be his final opportunity to win the World Cup before he retires in Qatar.
“It’s all well and good (the records), but the important thing is to be able to achieve the group objective, which is the most beautiful thing of all. We’re just one step away, after fighting hard, and we’re going to give everything to try to make it happen this time,” he said.
The GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) helped his nation advance to the finals by scoring on a penalty kick, and he also contributed significantly to Julian Alvarez’s other two goals against Croatia on Tuesday. In the sky and white stripes, he declared that the summit battle would be his last.
The nation will either compete against Group D champions France or Morocco (Group F winners).