Lionel Messi rules himself out of 2026 World Cup
Lionel Messi has confirmed that the 2022 FIFA World Cup was likely his last, essentially ruling himself out of the North American iteration of the tournament in 2026.
Messi finally won the World Cup in Qatar last December, guiding Argentina past France in a thrilling final to cement his legacy as the greatest footballer of all time.
That tournament in Qatar however looks set to be Messi's fifth and final World Cup with La Albiceleste.
When asked about whether he would play at the 2026 tournament by Titan Sports, the forward replied: "I think not. [Qatar] was my last World Cup. I'll see how things go, but as it is right now, no, I won't go to the next World Cup."
READ MORE ON LIONEL MESSI'S MOVE TO INTER MIAMI
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The Argentine legend is set to end his World Cup career as the competition's only ever two-time Golden Ball winner, the fourth highest goalscorer, and the all-time appearance maker.
Messi recently confirmed his club football future having opted to let his two-year contract at Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain expire. Despite interest from ex-club Barcelona and a £344m contract offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, the forward opted to make a move to MLS club Inter Miami.
He is expected to earn as much as £43m per year in MLS - a contract which includes sponsorship deals with MLS partners adidas and Apple.
Messi's move Stateside is expected to drum up interest in the sport ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
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On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Toby Cudworth is joined by Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss the latest transfer news. On the agenda is future of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi's shock move to Inter Miami, Declan Rice's proposed Arsenal deal, Tottenham's summer plans and more. If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
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