37-year-old superstar Lionel Messi says he has yet to decide whether to play in the 2026 World Cup or not, due to fitness and age issues.
Messi is set to play Atlanta United with Inter Miami on the morning of November 3, Hanoi time, for a spot in the MLS Cup Eastern Conference semifinals. He has been selected as one of the five finalists for the player of the season award. Despite only playing 20 of the past 35 matches in MLS 2024, the Miami captain has scored 20 goals, assisted 11 times, and is the player with the most goals in the tournament.
Lionel Messi in the match between Inter Miami and Atlanta United at Chase Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA on the evening of October 25, 2024. Photo: Miami Herald
“I’ve changed the way I play to adapt to the situation and my age,” he told 433. “In every aspect, I had to change a little bit, reinvent myself to suit MLS. I felt very comfortable playing here, right from the first minutes.”
In his first season in MLS in 2023, Messi played only six games, scored one goal and assisted two goals. Meanwhile, Inter Miami only ranked 14th in the Eastern Conference, not qualifying for the playoffs.
This season, Inter Miami finished first in the Eastern Conference after 34 games, won the Supporters’ Shield and had a record 74 points. This is the second championship in the club’s history after the Leagues Cup, but the team still wants to win the MLS Cup – the most prestigious trophy in American soccer.
“To build a strong team, we need to win titles,” Messi added. “Right after I joined, Miami won the Leagues Cup, the team’s first title. We are a candidate to win the MLS Cup, but we still respect other opponents.”
Messi also said he has received many questions, especially from Argentina, about the possibility of attending the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. “I just hope to finish 2024 stable, and prepare better for the 2025 season,” he added. “From there, I will see how I perform. I have not decided whether I will attend the next World Cup or not. There is still a long time, and anything can happen. So I do not think much about that prospect.”
The Supporters’ Shield with Inter Miami was Messi’s 46th title, three more than second-placed Dani Alves. The most meaningful of these was the 2022 World Cup, which the Argentine superstar said was “every player’s dream”. He has also won the Champions League four times, La Liga 10 times and the Copa America twice. Messi has also won 56 individual awards, including eight Ballon d’Ors and two World Cup Golden Balls.
Lionel Messi met journalist Fabrizio Romano in an exclusive interview with 433 and Apple TV. Here, the 2022 World Cup champion shared about the importance of family, along with his simple hobbies as he enters his “late afternoon” age.
After nearly 20 years of playing at the top level, Messi has reached every peak of his football career. In addition to 8 Golden Balls, Messi has just added the Supporters’ Shield to his collection of 46 titles, breaking Dani Alves’ record.
Messi said that right now, he is just trying to play football well every day, without thinking too far ahead: “I have had to change the way I play, to suit my physical strength and age. Right now, I just hope to close the season strong, then prepare for the next season. I will live, enjoy each day without thinking too much about the future.”
Messi and Suarez’s family celebrate winning the Supporters’ Shield with Inter Miami.
Family always comes first
During the interview, journalist Fabrizio Romano showed superstar Lionel Messi 3 photos prepared by the program. He asked Messi how he wanted to be remembered by his fans among the 3 options: “The son of the family”, “A person who is always thirsty, has won everything but still wants to conquer more” or “The boy Leo Messi in Rosario who wants to conquer the world?”.
Messi immediately chose a photo of himself, his wife and three children and said: “It must be family, always family.”
Responding to Romano’s question, Messi said: “I don’t know, the truth is that people remember me in whatever way they want. I am grateful for my career because I have achieved everything I wanted. I was lucky to conquer the biggest dream, the World Cup, it was extremely worthwhile.
I have been lucky to win everything with Barcelona, the national team, have a wonderful life and family. I am grateful to God for everything he has given me, and people can remember me however they want.”
Messi also shared that in his free time, he often plays football with his two sons. The life of the entire Messi family almost revolves around the round ball. When Messi plays football in the garden, he even receives criticism from his two sons Thiago and Mateo.
“If I have free time, I play football with my kids. Everything revolves around football. We play PlayStation sometimes, but in general, we prefer to pass the ball ourselves, touch the ball ourselves.
I sometimes have to think about giving them advice, because one of them is more hot-tempered than the others. They even show me how to kick the ball properly. When the family watches one of my matches, they criticize me for a few moments ,” Messi said about his activities with his children.
Messi has no intention of attending the 2026 World Cup
“Every time I return to Argentina, my friends and relatives ask me about the possibility of participating in the 2026 World Cup. But the truth is that I haven’t thought about this yet ,” said Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi’s presence at the 2026 World Cup is a topic of particular interest to fans. At 37 years old, the Argentine superstar is still making history with Inter Miami. Messi and his teammates topped the Eastern Conference standings after 34 matches, winning the Supporters’ Shield with a record score of 74 points.
As for Messi, he is in the top 5 nominees for the MLS Player of the Season award. Messi said he only thinks about the upcoming matches, not too much about the distant future: “Right now, I just want to close the season strong, then prepare for the next season. From there, I will consider the next possibilities. Football has many unpredictable factors. The road to the World Cup is still long, so I haven’t thought much about it yet.”
Messi is satisfied with life at Inter Miami, not counting the possibility of attending the 2026 World Cup.
As he gets older, Messi becomes more leisurely in his match preparation. He often listens to music and drinks tea to calm down, although he himself admits that these are “nothing special” habits.
“I like listening to music in the dressing room. While there, I sip mate tea. Actually, how much I drink depends on the time of the match. I don’t think it’s a big deal. My habits are nothing special. I also like ice cream. I’m not a salty person. I think I like sweets, desserts more ,” Messi said.
