Former Barcelona captain and current PSG star declared Qatar 2022 would be his last FIFA World Cup.
The 35-year-old legend also gave his squad a chance to win in Qatar. The most-decorated Ballon d’Or winner spoke about winning Copa América last year and his future goals.
“This is definitely my last World Cup. Messi was modest when he talked about all he has done in soccer. We are all the same on the field, and when the game starts, I always try to get better.
“I never think about what happened or what I did. I’m always thinking about what’s to come, what we can do with the chance we have, and what it will be like in the future.
“When I retire, I want people to remember me as a good person, not as a good player,” he said.
Messi said that he was both excited and a little worried about the World Cup, which starts in a little over a month.
“I’m counting down the days until the World Cup. I’m a little nervous and anxious because I want it to be here already,” he said.
The 35-year-old said, “I don’t think Argentina are top favorites because there are some teams that are better than us, but we will fight against anyone.”
Messi’s international career took a big step forward in 2021 when he led the Argentine national team to victory at the Copa América. This was his first major trophy. When the star thought back on his success, he said:
“When we won the Copa América, I couldn’t believe it.
“If I wasn’t, I would always have the pain of the lost finals, of not being able to commit myself to Argentina,” he remarked, alluding to the iconic picture of him bowing after Argentina won the Copa América.
Messi also talked about Sergio Aguero, who played for Argentina with him and was a close friend. Messi said that he missed playing with Aguero, who used to play for Manchester City and Barcelona.
“Obviously I miss Kun. We have a great friendship. Kun says what he thinks, and he has always been a little bit like that. Aguero is a great person, and sometimes even innocent because he is not evil. “He feels it, says it, and doesn’t measure it,” he said.
Messi said of Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, “He’s extremely close to the players and always there for them.” He is someone who lives for football, loves what he does, and suffers a lot in the games.
“He deserves everything that occurred to him since the procedure was arduous, and he did it all.”
Messi remarked, “I don’t intend to be a coach, but Zidane said the same thing and won the Champions League three times.”
The former Barcelona captain said he may be interested in a sports director post. “I’d want to be a club’s sports director, establish a squad, and support the coaches,” he stated.