Lionel Messi confirms Qatar final will be his last FIFA World Cup game

World: Argentina captain Lionel Messi has confirmed that he will retire after the FIFA World Cup 2022 final on December 18.

Messi, who scored from a penalty and played equally important in the other two goals scored by Julian Alvarez against Croatia to take his country to the final, said the summit clash will be his last in the sky and white stripes.

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“I feel very happy to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final,” Messi told Argentine media outlet Diario Deportivo Ole.

“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,” added the Argentina captain.

The 35-year-old is playing at his fifth World Cup, surpassing the four of Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano.

With his fifth goal in Qatar, he also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as the top Albiceleste scorer at World Cups, netting 11 times.

The PSG forward put on a show for a capacity crowd at Lusail Stadium in Qatar which many described as his best in recent times. This will be Messi’s last chance to lift the World Cup before calling it quits. He ended up as a runner-up after losing to Germany in 2014 in Brazil. Lionel Messi Retirement World Cup Lionel Messi Retirement World Cup

About Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team.

• Messi claimed the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best soccer player for a record seventh time in 2021, putting him two ahead of his rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
• He transferred to Paris Saint-Germain from FC Barcelona in August 2021, leaving the only professional home he had ever known.
• A contract leak in January 2021 showed Messi was making much more at Barcelona than previously thought; he was able to earn up to $165 million annually in salary and incentives.
• In March 2022, he signed an endorsement deal with fan engagement app Socios that is set to pay him $20 million (AED73m) annually.
• He launched his own clothing line and opened his first retail outlet, the Messi Store, in 2019 in Barcelona. He also has a lifelong deal with Adidas.

Source: Agencies