Lionel Messi just stopped short of confirming that he will be playing in the FIFA World Cup for a sixth time by stating that he wants to be there for Argentina, who will be the defending champios in the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Messi was pretty much the driving force as Argentina clinched the title in 2022 for the third time.

“I hope I can be there. I’ve said before that I’d love to be there,” said Messi in an interview with ESPN. The 38-year-old had previously said that he will play if his body holds up. “At worst, I’ll be there watching it live, but it will be special,” he added.

Messi said that head coach Lionel Scaloni wants the Argentina legend to be around the team in some capacity or the other. “He always tells me that he would like me to be there i

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