Lionel Messi says his focus is on qualifying for next year’s Copa America but won’t rule out 2026 World Cup

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Lionel Messi and Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.



CNN

Lionel Messi on ESPN/Star+ documentary “Champions,” One Year Later.”

“As long as I feel good and can continue to perform, I will (continue playing for Argentina). All I thought about today was to play in the Copa America and be able to compete,” he said.

“Then time will tell if I will play in the World Cup. My current age (39) doesn’t usually allow me to play in the World Cup.

“I’m always going to try to compete as hard as I can and I’m the first one to know when I’m getting to that level and when I’m not getting to that level.”

Messi leads Argentina to 2022 World Cup title in his At his fifth attempt, he won the Ballon d’Or for the tournament’s best player and scored twice in the final against France.

The victory, and the 2021 Copa America trophy, came after Argentina and Messi had narrowly missed out on international glory for years, as they lost three major finals in a row – the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Copa America. .

“After so many years of pain, now we are living through a special moment that I have never experienced before and I want to enjoy it to the fullest,” Messi said.

“I feel good in the team, it’s very united and very strong. A group of people who enjoy being together. “I want to take advantage of this and not think about the next two or three years, which is a lot in football. ”

Since winning the World Cup in Qatar, Messi has crossed the Atlantic to join Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and sparked a new wave of interest in soccer among Americans.

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Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami this summer.

He added that when he joined MLS, he was “aware” that he was going to “a smaller league,” but said “it’s very much a personal thing and what you deal with and compete against.” The way.”

After Messi’s arrival in July, Inter Miami started a club-record 12-game unbeaten run and won its first trophy in team history, the League Cup, but ended the season without a win in seven games without Messi. part time. Injuried.

“Maybe we will do well in the Copa America and everything will go well, let me continue. Maybe not. It’s difficult.” Messi said.

“Being a world champion gave me peace of mind for a change because I knew that in my job I could achieve anything.”

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