As an experienced leader and footballer, Lionel Messi reflects and speaks from the maturity that time takes care to polish in people. At 38 years of age, the captain of the Argentine national team is cautious with his emotions, but sincere. Like any soccer professional who loves his national team, he is enthusiastic about the World Cup; however, he knows that being there is a demand that at his age forces him to reason before acting.
Beyond the record he may set as the only player of his kind to have played in six World Cups, Messi is motivated by the idea of reaching 2026 to compete for the crown alongside a group of teammates who are experiencing an extraordinary moment of deep mental connection with the same goal: to give everything for the Albiceleste to be the best in the world. In an interview with ESPN, he shared his feelings and thoughts.
Lionel Messi drops a no-look pass in training and makes the impossible look effortless
You see them train and they give everything. We are an incredible group that gets on very well, but in training matches or in certain exercises, if they have to go hard, they go hard. Everyone gives their best, and that is a great strength of this group and of this team
Contrary to what other world champions have felt, Messi does not feel a burden on his shoulders with the title. On the contrary, he considers himself a lucky guy because the world title injects serenity and self-esteem to try to get it again. In this sense, he considers that this is important to facilitate the integration of new faces in the national team.
New players keep appearing; in addition to those already there, new faces keep arriving. When a group is like that, it is easier for newcomers to fit in. Argentina has to take advantage of this moment. Coming from winning the World Cup gives you confidence and peace of mind to prepare for competitions in a different way
But he takes things easy. Self-critical and demanding of himself, he knows that to compete at a high level in a World Cup he must arrive at the tournament in top physical condition. Messi will be 39 years old when the World Cup is held, so he hopes to be in extraordinary condition to be called up by Lionel Scaloni. However, he is open to the possibility of not being called up if the coach so decides.
I hope I can be there. I said before that I would love to be there. In the worst case, I’ll be there watching it live, but it will be special
Messi will work hard to be 100% in the weeks leading up to the World Cup. He is currently still set to play in the MLS Cup final. His schedule has been extended and tightened, so he will have little time to rest. He will focus on doing everything he can to get to the World Cup, but he is not too upset if that does not happen.
Leo Messi’s reflection on Argentina for the 2026 World Cup
Based on what the last World Cups have been like and the level shown by some elite teams, the Argentine knows that the competition is close. So close that the penalty factor was what defined the last champion, Argentina. He believes that it is best to wait for the moment and go step by step, as happened in Qatar 2022.
We were lucky, although we were far superior to both the Netherlands and France, we ended up going to penalties and then we had the beast of Dibu who made us win. But it may be that we get to the penalties and not win, it is very difficult to get a World Cup
