Sunday’s final is going to be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup match. The Argentine star himself announced this after defeating Croatia in the semi-finals.
For the 35-year-old Messi, another World Cup after 4 years is a dream. However, Messi’s teammate goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is not willing to accept these calculations of age. He said, Messi can play at the age of 50 if he wants.
If that is the case, Messi will definitely be seen at least in the 2026 World Cup. Argentina have played great so far under the leadership of Messi in the World Cup in Qatar. Although they started with a loss to Saudi Arabia in the first match, Argentina turned around very well.
They confirmed the ticket to the last sixteen by defeating Mexico and Poland. They then defeated Australia in the second round, Netherlands in the last eight and Croatia in the last four. Now if you win another match, you will get the dream world cup trophy.
Martinez also played great throughout the World Cup. Especially his performance in the tiebreaker against the Netherlands saw Argentina qualify. Before the World Cup, Martinez said he would give his life for Messi. When asked about Messi’s future, he said, ‘For me, he can play even at the age of 50. He’s still great. Messi can make things so much easier – the most difficult.’
Talking about the benefits of playing with Messi, Martinez also said, “Playing with him made me better as a player. Messi winning the Copa was great. He represents the country as a hero. People respect Messi more than the president. Messi said people will stay at home for 24 hours. He is on top of everyone. A hard worker and an inspiration to all.’
