PSG star, Lionel Messi, has confirmed he will play his last World Cup game when Argentina take on France or Morocco in Sunday’s World Cup final.
The 35-year-old led Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia in their semi-final on Tuesday night and will earn his 172nd cap at the weekend when he tries to bring the country its first World Cup title since 1986.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, whose five goals in Qatar can only be equalled by Paris Saint-Germain team-mate, Kylian Mbappe, has given himself one last shot at winning the only trophy that evades him.
“I am very happy to finish my journey in the World Cup in a final, to play the last game in a final. That is really very gratifying.
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“Everything I experienced in this World Cup has been emotional, seeing how much it has been enjoyed in Argentina.
“There are a lot of years from this year to the next one. I don’t think I will be able to do that. To finish this way is brilliant.
“I would say the first match (the defeat against Saudi Arabia) was a hard blow because we had been unbeaten in 36 matches. To start in such a way in a World Cup, we did not think we would lose to Saudi Arabia.
“It was an acid test for the whole squad but we proved how strong we are. We won the other matches and it was very difficult. Every match was a final and we were aware if we did not win, things would be complicated for us.
“We have won five finals and I hope this is the case for the final on Sunday. We lost in the first match due to fine details but it helped us to be stronger,” he said.
Tuesday’s victory prompted thousands of fans to take to the streets in Argentina to celebrate the national team’s sixth World Cup final appearance.
Messi was part of the Argentina squad that lost in the 2014 final to Germany in Brazil.
The former Barcelona forward announced his retirement from international football in 2016 after losing in the Copa America final against Chile, but he later reversed his decision.
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