Lionel Messi has dropped a hint about when he will retire from football after playing his final home game for Argentina.
At a raucous and emotional Estadio Monumental on Thursday, Messi bagged a brace as Argentina beat Venezuela 3-0 in World Cup qualifying.
It is the last home game Argentina have scheduled for the foreseeable future as they travel to Ecuador for their final qualifying match next week, before a number of friendlies abroad in the lead up to next year’s World Cup in North America.
Ahead of and after the clash, Messi, for many the greatest footballer of all time, suggested this would be his final home match for his country, a sign perhaps that the 38-year-old is ready to call time on his legendary career…
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‘Being able to finish this way here is what I’ve always dreamed of,’ an emotional Messi said after bidding farewell to the Buenos Aries crowd.
‘I’ve experienced a lot of things on this pitch, both good and not so good, but it’s always a joy to play in Argentina, in front of our fans.’
If he is true to his word, with Argentina’s next home game likely to come after the World Cup next summer, Messi will have retired from international duty by this time next year.
Of course, Messi has retired from international duty before, doing so in 2016 after losing three consecutive major tournament finals but he was convinced to return soon after.
As for whether this means the end for his club career is a different matter. His contract with Inter Miami expires at the end of 2025 but it is said the Major League Soccer club, who are owned by David Beckham, are confident he will renew his deal.
He maybe in the twilight of his career but Messi has 90 goal involvements in 73 games for Miami so far and will want to keep fit and sharp ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Beyond that remains to be seen…
What has Messi said about playing at the 2026 World Cup?
After captaining his country to World Cup glory in 2022 in Qatar, Messi suggested that would be his final involvement at the tournament.
Yet, with less than a year to go until the 2026 World Cup, which is being held in the USA, Mexico and Canada, he remains a key part of the national team and is still their skipper.
Argentina were the first South American nation to book their place at the tournament and will finish top of the qualifying standings no matter what happens in Ecuador next week.
Speaking after beating Venezuela, Messi said he was ‘excited’ to play at the next World Cup but admitted he would only go if he felt he was physically fit to do so.
‘Same as I said before about the World Cup that I don’t think I’ll play another. Because of my age, the most logical thing is that I won’t make it.
‘But well, we’re almost there so I’m excited and motivated to play it. Like I always say, I go day by day, match by match. That’s it, taking it day by day, going by how I feel.
‘Day by day, trying to feel good and above all, being honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it, but when I don’t, honestly, I don’t have a good time, so I prefer not to be there if I don’t feel good.
‘So we’ll see. I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup.
‘Match by match, I’ll finish the season, then I’ll have preseason, and there will be six months left. So we’ll see how I feel.
‘Hopefully I’ll have a good preseason in 2026 and finish this MLS season well and then I’ll decide.’
How many goals has Messi scored in his career?
Across his entire club and country career, Messi has scored 879 goals – only his old foe Cristiano Ronaldo has more with 940.
114 of these are for Argentina, achieved over 194 caps, making him both his country’s record goalscorer and appearance maker by quite some distance.
The vast majority of his goals – 672 to be precise – came during his incredible 17-year spell at Barcelona, before adding to his tally at PSG and Inter Miami.
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