Lionel Messi, the captain of the Argentine National Team and one of the legendary names of the football world, made striking statements about his career after equalizing his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo‘s international hat-trick record. The star player has admitted that retirement from international football could now be imminent.
37-year-old Messi has reached a new milestone in his career, which has been crowned with two Copa America and one World Cup victories. Messi, who returned to the Argentina squad for the World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia on Tuesday, made his return to the field after missing two camps due to his ankle injury. However, the star player said that he could not guarantee to wear the national team jersey until the 2026 World Cup.
Although Messi has been vague about his future, his performance on the field indicates that his career is not over yet. The star of Inter Miami, who appeared on stage in the match where Argentina defeated Bolivia 6-0, gave a football recital by making two assists and scoring three goals.
MESSI EQUALED RONALDO’S RECORD
This performance of Messi was recorded as his 10th hat-trick with the Argentina jersey. Thus, Messi shared the title of the player with the most hat-tricks at the international level, together with his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi’s number of goals in the Argentine National Team increased to 112. This figure falls short of the 133 goals Ronaldo scored for Portugal.
Making a statement after the match, Messi gave hints that he might be playing his last matches with the Argentina jersey. “It feels great to be here on the field with the love of the Argentinian fans.” The star player expressed his satisfaction with the fans’ interest in him.
“I get really emotional when they shout my name. Feeling the bond between us and the fans and playing at home gives us great pleasure.” Using the following statements, Messi stated that he did not make a clear plan for his future:
I haven’t set a deadline for my career. I’m enjoying everything right now. Now I am more emotional than ever and I feel people’s love inside me, because these may be my last matches.
