The question of whether Lionel Messi will play in his last World Cup in 2026 is once again at the forefront in Argentina. It arises every time the Argentine captain gives a clue, a nuance, or reflects on his future. This is logical: he is the player who redefined the history of the Argentine national team, the one who changed a country's expectations, and the only one who can spark a debate even when he prefers caution.
A central point in his recent discourse is that he wants to play, but not at any price. He has won what he had to win and more. His legacy does not depend on whether he makes it to 2026. However, for him, the decision is not about the legacy but about the intimate feeling of being in condition to compete.
The Copa América 2024 was a clear example: he was far from his most dominant version, but he was still indispensable. The uncertainty about his presence at the World Cup also speaks to another dimension: Messi no longer needs to prove anything.
He will be 38 years old, competing in a league that does not always offer the ideal pace for an elite tournament like the MLS. But it is also true that his way of playing no longer depends on maximum speed but on intelligence, reading the game, and the ability to control the rhythm of a match.
He wants to do it with real weight, with influence on the game, and with the certainty that he is at the level of a World Cup. The 2026 World Cup, by calendar and logic, is a challenge that borders on the improbable. But it is also true that Messi has defied the probable for twenty years.
His decision will depend on his body, his head, and his desire. If he comes, it will be because he feels he can continue to make a difference. He is conditioned by his physical state, his competitiveness, and above all, an idea he repeats with disarming sincerity: he does not want to be a burden, as previously reported by the Argentine News Agency.
No one could imagine Messi as a hindrance to a team, but his own high standards force him to think in terms that escape collective emotion. Messi does not want to participate in the World Cup out of nostalgia.
Messi is an irreplaceable figure, and as such, any farewell is lived with the feeling that there might still be more. Perhaps that doubt, that open possibility, is his last trick: to keep the expectation alive even when time indicates we are at the last pages of a unique story.
Probably yes.
