In Lionel Messi’s dreams, there’s a World Cup win in 2022.
The Argentinian superstar has never hidden the fact that he would trade much of his individual awards for one win with the albiceleste. And with the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup getting underway, and Argentina set to play their inaugural game against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, November 22nd, Messi’s dreams are now one of the biggest storylines of a tournament that Messi confirmed will likely be his last.
The news comes as anything but a surprise for fùtbol fans. Messi is, after all, 35 years old, which puts him firmly in the veterans’ category when it comes to the top players in the game. Qatar 2022 is set to be his fifth World Cup. But it was still bittersweet for fans to hear Messi pretty much confirm it during the pre-game press conference on Monday, November 21st for the game between Argentina and Saudi Arabia.
“It will likely be my last World Cup,” he said. “My last opportunity to achieve this great dream that I have, and that we all have.” And though there are a lot of good teams coming to the World Cup in good form, the fact that Argentina enters the tournament as a favorite – both common sense-wise and emotions-wise – is indisputable and something he’s grateful for. “It’s great that many people who are not Argentinians want Argentina to win the World Cup because of me. I’m grateful.”
The team won the 2021 Copa America and is undefeated in its last 36 games.
For fans of the game, though, the biggest reason to root for Argentina is Lionel Messi, arguably one of the best players who has ever played the game, and someone who has won a great deal of individual awards (seven Ballon d’Or) and club tournaments. Until last year’s Copa America, however, Messi hadn’t won any big tournament with the Argentina National team and had at one point lost 7 finals in a row with the team.
But new World Cup, new hopes. And if this is indeed the end of Lionel Messi’s career, most fans of the game would love to see him go out holding the one trophy that has eluded him for so long.