Lionel Messi has confirmed that Argentina’s match against France in the tournament final in Qatar on Sunday will be his last World Cup game.
Messi will play his 172nd match this weekend and will aim to give Argentina its first world title since 1986. He led the team to the final by beating Croatia 3-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
He said: «I feel very happy to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in the finals.»
The 35-year-old is playing in his fifth World Cup ahead of the quartet of Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano.
With his fifth goal in Qatar, he overtook Gabriel Batistuta to become Albiceleste’s top scorer in the World Cup with 11 goals.
Messi added: «We’re just one step away, after fighting hard, and we’re going to give everything to try to make it happen this time.»
Tuesday’s victory brought thousands of fans to the streets of Argentina to celebrate the sixth FIFA World Cup final in the history of their team.
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