Argentina forward Lionel Messi claims the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be his final tournament
The World Cup in Qatar in November, according to Lionel Messi, will "certainly" be his last
The 35-year-old Paris St. Germain attacker has represented Argentina at four World Cups, making 19 games and tallying six goals and five assists
After leading his nation to the Copa America triumph in 2021 and receiving a runners-up gold in 2014, Messi's impressive trophy case is only lacking the World Cup
It's definitely my last World Cup, he remarked
Messi added in a statement to ESPN: "I am keeping track of the days before the World Cup. Nervousness and anxiety are present at the same moment. Do you want to know what will happen, when it will happen, and how it will end
Messi made his debut for Argentina in 2005 and has since made 164 appearances while scoring 90 goals
He will beat the previous mark for an Argentina player, which he shared with Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano, by qualifying for his fifth World Cup
The Global Cup, which begins on November 20, will feature Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland. Argentina is currently placed third in the Fifa world rankings
"Anything might happen during a World Cup. Each match is really challenging. Favorites don't always come out on top, "said Messi
"I don't know if we're the favorites, but given its history, Argentina is always a contender. We are not the favorites, and right now even more so because of the situation we're in. I believe there are teams out there who are superior to us