In the concluded South American World Cup Qualifiers, Argentina defeated Venezuela 3-0. After the match, Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who scored a brace, shared his views and feelings in an interview with Camel Live.
Regarding his prospects of participating in the World Cup, Messi clearly stated that he currently only wants to reach peak condition by 2026: “As I’ve said before, about the next World Cup, I think I might not be able to play in it anymore… Because considering my age, the most reasonable thing to say is that I might not make it to the World Cup. However, we’re getting close to that time, so I’m excited and motivated to play. Like I always say, I’ll keep working hard day by day, game by game. That’s just how I am—I arrange things based on how I feel, day by day.”
“I work hard every day to keep myself in good form for games, and most importantly, I need to be honest with myself about my situation. When I feel good, I really enjoy playing; when I don’t, honestly, I don’t feel good on the pitch either. So if I don’t feel right, I’d rather not go. Therefore, we’ll just have to wait and see. I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup yet.”
“I’ll finish this season game by game, then go through the preseason, and after that, we’ll still have six months left. So we’ll see how I feel then. I hope I can have a good preseason in 2026, finish this MLS season smoothly, and then make a decision.”
“I love football and I love playing; I don’t want this journey to end. But I also know that the moment will eventually come, and it will happen naturally. As I’ve always said, I want to take it step by step and feel things day by day.”
"Actually… I felt really good before, but then… the injury forced me to rest, even though it was only 15 days. It disrupted my rhythm because when I came back… I didn’t feel comfortable. But fortunately, now I’ve played three consecutive games."
