The world stage is all set for the biggest tournament of football starting next month. The FIFA World Cup 2022 is set to begin on 20th November in Qatar and millions of football fans will be having their eyes glued to the action as the mega tournament unfolds with its sensational encore.
Talking about football’s greatest players in the modern generation, Lionel Messi surely features in the list. The Argentinian will be leading his team in the World Cup 2022. For La Pulga or Leo as his fans call him, this will be the fifth time that he will be in Argentinian colors at the marquee tournament.
However, recently the PSG striker announced that the 22nd edition of the mega event will be his last. The 35-year-old also expresses to his fans that he feels a little nervous heading to Qatar as this will be his last World Cup.
What Did Messi Say About His World Cup Appearance?
In a conversation with Sebastian Vignolo, Messi said that he has decided that the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar will be the last time he features in the mega tournament. However, he did not say anything clearly about whether he would hang up his boots or continue to play for the national team.
He also said that he is anxious for the tournament to begin. There is a bit of tension but that’s good going into a tournament he said.
Further, he reveals that right now the team’s morale is pretty high and all the lads are confident in one another. Teammates have formed coordination about defensive and attacking strategies, by playing numerous matches over the last couple of years and winning them.
Which Team Does Messi Think Would Be the Favorites?
When asked about Argentina and whether the team carries the favorites tag going into the tournament, Lionel Messi says that he does not know whether Argentina is the most favorite team to win the coveted trophy in world football. Surely, the history of Argentina recons that they are one of the favorites in any edition.
And this is indeed true as Argentina team won the World Cup twice, once in 1978 dominated by a goal-scoring spree from the great Gabriel Batistuta, and then to the unforgettable World Cup triumph in 1986 under the legendary Diego Maradona.
But according to Messi, they are not the favorites as there are other teams in the tournament in good form as well. Many soccer pundits believe Argentina will take some beating in this year’s World Cup. Argentina has stitched a 35-match unbeaten streak under coach Lionel Scaloni and surely this will boost the confidence of the players heading into the tournament.
This confidence will be further boosted with Argentina winning the Copa America last year defeating their old foes, Brazil.
To add to the confidence of the Argentinians will be the form of their maestro, who seems to enjoy a purple patch. Messi is indeed in red-hot form both for his club Paris Saint Germain and his country.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner made his debut for Argentina in the World Cup in the 2006 edition. Since then, he had been an indispensable player, eventually taking the leadership role in the squad.
In the 2014 edition being held in Brazil, Argentina went to the final against Germany but that was not going to be Messi’s year, as Argentina faced defeat with Mario Goetze of Germany scoring the winner deep into extra time.
Is There Any Curse on Messi When He Plays the Finals?
Football never surprises us and unfortunate events can happen to even the biggest teams and players. Unfortunately, Messi’s stats while donning the national colors are not that good, especially in a final.
So far, Messi has featured in five finals for Argentina. And you might be surprised to find out that he has lost four finals with Argentina to date and won just one.
Argentina lost to Brazil in the 2007 Copa America final. Then seven years later in World Cup 2014 in Brazil, he tasted another defeat in the final. Then, he had to face consecutive defeats in the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals. The only time that luck was with Messi and Argentina was in the 2021 Copa America Final, which Argentina won.
Will Messi Retire After The 2022 World Cup?
Well, the maestro has not defined anything and surely, football fans would not want him to retire too. The southpaw has only said that this will be the last time that he plays in the World Cup.
But many believe that if Argentina performs poorly in the tournament, things can go otherwise.
This is not the first time that Messi’s retirement is in rumors. He had officially declared his retirement news right after Argentina’s loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario in 2016.
But he reversed his decision and took Argentina to the main stages of the World Cup 2018. But sadly Argentina’s performance had remained below par in that tournament with a shocking 3-0 loss to Croatia and losing 4-3 to France in the round of 32.
Final Thoughts
Messi is raring to feature one last time for Argentina in the World Cups although he said that there is a bit of anxiousness as this will be his last World Cup. He also said that he wants to give his fans something back in return for their unconditional support and love for him over the years.
Messi further goes on to say that there have been tough moments over these years, but he strongly believes that Argentina always hit back hard. He believes that the entire team will give it their all and fight hard against opponents to come out with favorable results.
It remains to be seen whether Argentina can win the World Cup. They are pitted in Group C along with Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland. As for the records, Argentina is heading into the World Cup ranked 2nd right now in the FIFA World Rankings. No doubt that it should be an easy group for them to qualify and head into the knockout stages.
