Argentina captain Lionel Messi has confirmed that this Sunday's 2022 World Cup final will be his final appearance in the tournament. The 35-year-old will try to end his career on a high note by lifting football's most prestigious trophy. Messi delivered an outstanding performance in the 3-0 victory over Croatia in the semi-finals. […]
Messi confirms when he will play his final World Cup game in Qatar in 2022.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has confirmed that this Sunday's 2022 World Cup final will be his final appearance in the tournament.The 35-year-old will try to end his career on a high note by lifting football's most prestigious trophy.
Messi delivered an outstanding performance in the 3-0 victory over Croatia in the semi-finals.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward scored once and assisted twice as Albiceleste advanced to the final.
Messi has now stated that he will not be attending the 2026 World Cup.
"A lot of happiness, being able to achieve this," he told TyC Sports. Ending my World Cup career by playing my final game in a final."
When asked if it was his last World Cup, he added: "Surely yes. The next one is many years away, and I don't think I'll be able to do it.
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Lionel Messi has suggested Man Utd made costly error when Ralf Rangnick was in charge
Argentina were excellent as they advanced to their sixth World Cup final on Tuesday evening, with Messi scoring the game-winning penalty.
The PSG star delivered a typically world-class performance, also assisting Julian Alvarez's second goal of the evening to make the final score 3-0.
While the 35-year-old deservedly received high praise, Manchester City forward Alvarez was also lauded after scoring his third and fourth goals of the tournament.
Only Kylian Mbappe and Messi have scored more goals (five), giving the 22-year-old a realistic chance of winning the Golden Boot.After the semi-final victory over Alvarez, Messi told TYC Sports: "I always say the same thing: our strength is our collective work rate, and any of my teammates deserves to be named Man of the Match.
"But today, I believe Julian stands out above all. He played an outstanding game.
"He was the one who paved the way, who fought them all, ran, and created opportunities. I believe he was a very important player, as he has been throughout this World Cup, and I believe he is deserving of this [MOTM award]."Why Messi's comments cast doubt on Man United's decision
Ralf Rangnick compiled a shortlist of transfer targets that United should look to bring in during the most recent January or summer transfer windows during his tenure as manager.
Alvarez, a River Plate forward at the time, was on the list. Fabrizio Romano, the club's president, recently stated that the club had a "real chance" of signing the striker.
However, United did not go ahead with the move. Rangnick confirmed this in May, adding that the club did not sanction moves for Luis Diaz, who joined Liverpool, or Dusan Vlahovic, who joined Juventus.Meanwhile, Alvarez has joined Manchester City. He currently has three goals in 12 Premier League appearances for City, but his World Cup performances show that there is plenty more to come.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag's side, which did not sign a forward during the summer transfer window, is now looking for a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club by mutual agreement last month.
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