Buenos Aires∙ Lionel Messi entered the Argentina team for the World Cup qualifier against Venezuela with tears in his eyes, perhaps because he was sure that he would never play an international match again in front of his loved ones on the soil of his birth. In the match held at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, the thirty-eight-year-old Messi scored twice (39th and 80th minutes) to defeat Venezuela 3-0. The other goal was from Lautaro Martinez (76th).
Although there has been no official announcement about Messi’s retirement, there are reports that the superstar will end his international career with next year’s World Cup. Meanwhile, Messi is unlikely to play another international match in Argentina. With this, the match against Venezuela on his home soil has become Messi’s farewell match. ‘I always dreamed of such a farewell’ – Messi said after the match.
Will he play the World Cup? Messi undecided
Lionel Messi did not give a clear answer to the question of whether he will participate in next year’s World Cup. ‘Football is very dear to me. My dream is to play football for the rest of my life. But that is not possible. Next year I will be 39 years old. It is not easy to play a World Cup at this age. I have 9 more months to decide. We will wait and see,’ said Messi after the match against Venezuela.
