Argentina World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi has announced that he will not put an end to his international career. On Sunday, December 18, La Albiceleste defeated France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the final between the two sides ended in a 3-3 draw at the end of extra-time.
Now that the 35-year-old has finally won the biggest trophy in world football, many thought Messi would retire from international football but he is not ready to call it quits on his international career just yet.
“No, I’m not going to retire from the national team. I want to keep playing as World Cup champions with (the) Argentina shirt,”
he told reporters after the final win over France (via Fabrizio Romano).
The Paris Saint-Germain attacker was instrumental in Argentina’s victory over France, scoring twice in a thrilling match at the Lusail Stadium. The game ended 3-3 and went to a shootout, which La Albiceleste won.
Leading up to the final, there were doubts about Messi’s international future, as he had stated that this would be his final FIFA World Cup. He finished the 2022 FIFA World Cup with seven goals and three assists in seven games, earning the tournament’s Golden Ball award. Moreover, Messi became the first player to assist in five World Cups during this tournament.
He also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta’s tally of ten goals to become La Albiceleste’s all-time leading scorer. If the Argentina-France match is to be Messi’s last game for the national side in the World Cup, he’ll end his World Cup goals tally with 13 goals.
Argentina’s legend made his debut in 2005 and has 98 goals and 55 assists in 172 appearances. Messi will return to PSG when club football resumes on December 28, with the Parisians’ first competitive game against Strasbourg.
The Qatar World Cup was the third in Argentina’s history. It had previously won two titles under Mario Kempes in 1978 and under Diego Maradona in 1986. Messi had come close to winning in 2014, but La Albiceleste lost the final 0-1 to Germany.
