{"id":299,"date":"2025-10-28T05:28:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T05:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=299"},"modified":"2025-10-28T05:28:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T05:28:02","slug":"messi-eyes-world-cup-defence-for-argentina-despite-age-fitness-concerns-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=299","title":{"rendered":"Messi eyes World Cup defence for Argentina, despite age, fitness concerns | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Lionel Messi acknowledged wellness factors will dictate his role in defending Argentina\u2019s 2022 World Cup title next year.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 28 Oct 2025<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">28 Oct 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Lionel Messi, still chasing international glory nearly two decades into his career, says he hopes to play at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America, acknowledging his age and fitness will dictate his role in defending Argentina\u2019s 2022 title.<\/p>\n<p>The Argentinian great recently extended his contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami through 2028, signalling he is not yet considering retirement despite turning 39 next June.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 2 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Speaking to NBC News, the eight-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner said he will take time next year to assess his physical condition before deciding whether to play in the tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup, and I would love to,\u201d the Argentinian captain said in the interview released on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would like to be there, to be well, and be an important part of helping my team, if I am there. I\u2019m going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter, and see if I can really be 100 percent, if I can be useful, and then make a decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really eager because it\u2019s a World Cup. We\u2019re coming off winning the last one, and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular, because it\u2019s always a dream to play with the national team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Messi has enjoyed a professional career spanning more than 20 years, debuting for Barcelona at just 17 in 2004, before playing for Paris St Germain and joining Inter Miami in 2023. He sparked fresh interest in the American league in a critical moment for the sport in North America ahead of hosting next year\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>While Messi has amassed countless club and individual accolades, international success had eluded him until claiming the Copa America 2021 before beating France 4-2 on penalties to win the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the dream of my life,\u201d Messi said of the victory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was also true that it was the only thing missing at a professional level because I had been lucky enough to have achieved everything at an individual level, at a team level with Barcelona, and I think that\u2019s every player\u2019s dream. When you ask a player what their dream is, it\u2019s to be world champion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Messi has played in 195 matches and scored a record 114 goals for his country. A return for the 2026 World Cup would mark his sixth appearance in the tournament.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4064878\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4064878\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4064878\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025-10-15T010955Z_1260202520_MT1USATODAY27324912_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-INTERNATIONAL-MENS-FRIENDLY-ARGENTINA-AT-PUERTO-RICO-1761623858.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Lionel Messi in action.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4064878\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Argentina forward Lionel Messi shoots the ball against Puerto Rico during the first half of an international friendly match at Chase Stadium, on October 14, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US [Sam Navarro\/Imagn Images via Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lionel Messi acknowledged wellness factors will dictate his role in defending Argentina\u2019s 2022 World Cup title next year. Published On 28 Oct 202528 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Lionel Messi, still chasing international glory nearly two decades into his career, says he hopes to play at the FIFA World [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latin-america-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}