Superstar Lionel Messi turns 37 on June 24. The possibility of Messi participating in Copa America 2024 is very high, but will this be “Leo’s” last tournament with Argentina?
Argentine football fans are looking forward to Lionel Messi’s presence in the 2024 Copa America finals, starting on June 20. The superstar who owns 8 Golden Ball titles has been absent from the Argentina team since November last year, after a 1-0 victory at Brazil in the 2026 World Cup qualifier in South America.
Messi has the ability to attend the 2026 World Cup
In March this year, due to physical problems, Messi did not attend two matches against El Salvador and Costa Rica, friendly matches on FIFA Days. Anyway, these are all weak opponents and even without Messi, “Albiceleste” still won quite easily.
But in the upcoming Copa America, Argentina’s mission is to defend the championship. This year’s tournament expands its scale with a total of 16 participating teams, including teams from the North Central America region. So the level of intensity and difficulty will certainly be greater than the tournament in 2021. That is why coach Lionel Scaloni and his teammates need Messi’s presence.
Talking about Messi’s physical condition, coach Scaloni shared: “We think Messi is very good. The important thing is that he still maintains his form after injury. He is ready.”
Currently, the Argentina national team is training in Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA) to prepare for Copa America 2024. In the latest press conference, midfielder Lisandro Martinez emphasized that Messi’s calm and happy attitude shows “M10”. has no intention of leaving the team immediately after this tournament.
The MU midfielder shared: “Messi is very calm, more than anything he enjoys every day. It’s great to be here, we all have a great relationship. We don’t see this as his last tournament with Argentina. We see Messi happy and in impressive form.”
Central defender Martinez reported good news about Messi
According to the Argentine press, Messi plans to retire at the 2026 World Cup. If that happens, “Leo” is expected to learn from French football legend Zinedine Zidane, who retired immediately after the 2006 World Cup. If he attends the 2026 World Cup, Messi will then be 39 years old. It was completely reasonable for him to attend that tournament and then retire.
Messi played an important role in the recent successes of Argentina, when he led the team to victory in both Copa America 2021 and World Cup 2022. Since his debut for the team in 2005, “Leo” has been scored 106 goals in 180 appearances.
Source: [Source Link]Source: [Source Link]
