Having recovered from a muscle strain that kept him off the pitch for two weeks, Lionel Messi will once again don the Albiceleste shirt this Friday in World Cup qualifier. Argentina's skipper and his teammates face Uruguay in Montevideo before hosting Brazil at the Monumental next Tuesday.
Argentina, the leaders of the South American qualifying group, are already looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, but will their ageing captain be there leading the side?
At 37 years old and having won every title he ever dreamed of, Messi — the most celebrated and idolised footballer of the past two decades — must be contemplating, increasingly often and in silence, the end of his career.
There is a date looming on the horizon, but the great mystery surrounding his future is whether the date circled on his calendar – known only to him – will come before or after the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It could be his last grand outing before hanging up his boots.
No longer competing at the highest level of European football, Argentina's number 10 is well aware that every match with the national team could be one of his last. The chance to bid farewell at a World Cup is as tempting as it is daunting.
"I don’t know if I’ll play in the 2026 World Cup. I know it’s close, but at the same time, it’s a long way away. I’m not thinking about it yet. I live day by day without looking too far ahead," Messi told digital football content agency 433 in October.
Regardless of his wishes, his performances will depend on how his body holds up in the coming months. His physical condition is already imposing limits, as was evident this month when he missed three matches for his Inter Miami club side.
Will La Pulga have enough left in the tank to make it to June 2026, or will he prefer to step away before then?
Being with Inter Miami allows him to pace himself, but the challenges posed by Uruguay and Brazil will test his ability to recover and reveal whether he still has the stamina to handle such demanding encounters.
The reigning world champions are keen to secure early qualification for the World Cup on matchdays 13 and 14. For that, they will need Messi at his best —the player who has always been capable of making the difference in decisive moments.
Against two historic rivals and formidable opponent, his return to the pitch not only strengthens the Albiceleste but also reignites the question of whether he will continue until the tournament in 2026. Is this just another step towards his sixth World Cup, or the beginning of his farewell?
"Both he and his teammates are aware that there is still a reasonable amount of time left, and the desire to play in a World Cup is there — for him and for everyone," Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni said in a January interview with DSports.
"We just have to let time pass and see how things unfold. He knows exactly what we think. I’m not worried — the only thing I want is for him to be happy," the coach added.
Messi joins up with his international teammates after playing just five competitive matches this year.
But after missing three consecutive games with a muscle strain, the Rosario-born wonder returned to action last Thursday in Kingston, Jamaica, against Cavalier in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Messi played 37 minutes – and scored a goal.
On Sunday, he played the full match in a 2-1 victory over Atlanta United in a MLS clash, delivering a solid performance and again finding the net.
Messi turns 38 on June 24. His talent remains intact, but the physical toll is becoming increasingly evident. The question now is how he will handle demanding double-headers in qualifiers and in what condition he will be after the matches.
When the the opening match of the World Cup — scheduled for June 11, 2026 in Mexico City — Messi will be approaching his 39th birthday.
La Pulga could aim to become the first footballer to play in six World Cups — if he gives Scaloni the green light for 2026.
Or perhaps, Argentina’s imminent qualification for the World Cup, potentially secured against their fiercest rivals in the next week, will prove to be one of those "last battles" he himself once spoke of.
– TIMES/AFP
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