With Lionel Messi set for the sixth World Cup of his illustrious career, the Argentine national soccer team enters the 2026 World Cup in the early hours of Wednesday (June 17, 4:00 a.m.), facing Algeria with the sole goal of retaining the “crown” it won in Qatar in 2022.
“La Pulga” has recovered from the minor thigh injury he sustained three weeks ago in the MLS match between Inter Miami and Philadelphia, however, the physical condition of the eight-time “Golden Ball” winner was a source of concern for the entire nation of Argentina. However, the 20 minutes he played in the June 9 friendly against Iceland (3-0) dispelled those fears.
The top soccer player of the last 20 years scored from the penalty spot and looked particularly… eager, just as soccer fans everywhere have come to expect from him.
Messi is set to become the first player to participate in six World Cups, given that goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is also participating in his sixth tournament, but he did not play in the first match against Mexico, and Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start on Wednesday for Portugal.
“There were doubts because I said at the last World Cup that it would be difficult for me to play in another World Cup due to my age,” the famous Argentine explained last week, adding: “But I started to feel good and had the chance to play, find my rhythm, get some playing time, feel good, and things just fell into place naturally.”
Messi, who will turn 39 on June 24, has been playing in MLS since the summer of 2023, a North American league whose level is quite different from what he experienced in Europe, where he spent 17 years in Spain with Barcelona and two seasons in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
During his time on U.S. soil, Messi has scored 62 goals in 67 matches with Inter Miami, which he led to its first league title.
Under these circumstances, and obviously because a contrary decision would have caused… an upheaval in the country, it was only natural that Lionel Scaloni would choose him to lead the 26-man squad, which will aim to become the first national team to retain its title after Pelé and Garrincha’s Brazil in 1962.
“I’m happy, I’m enjoying every moment, and I’m excited as always,” Messi commented after last week’s victory over Iceland in Alabama, while remaining vague about his future after the tournament.
“We all know full well that this could very well be Leo’s last World Cup, given his age, but ultimately, it’s up to him,” said his teammate Julián Álvarez on the FIFA website, adding:
“It will definitely be a special World Cup, and I’m not just talking about us, his teammates and the people of Argentina, but also for those who watch and follow him, because he is the best. A player for the ages. He has a colossal impact worldwide.”.
The all-time leading scorer for the “Albiceleste,” will become only the third player to reach 200 caps at the national team level, after Cristiano Ronaldo and Kuwaiti Bader Al-Mutawa.
