Lionel Messi has not announced when he will retire, but he knows next week's game against Venezuela could be his last in the World Cup qualifier against the Argentina national team.
“It will be a very, very special game for me because it's the last qualifying match,” the 38-year-old Messi said Wednesday night.
Argentina has already won a spot in next year's World Cup, with Venezuela next Thursday at the monumental stadium in Buenos Aires to take on the penultimate South American qualifiers. Its final game will be held in Ecuador on September 9.
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Messi has suggested he will retire at next year's World Cup and Argentina will defend the title they won in Qatar in 2022.
The qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup will begin in 2027, when football stars will be 40 years old.
“I don’t know if there will be friendship in the future [Venezuela]but it's a very special game, so my family will be with me: my wife, my children, parents, my siblings. “Messi said: “We will live like this.” I don't know what will happen next. ”
Lionel Messi will play his last World Cup qualifier in Argentina next week. Carlossipán/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Following Messi's comments, Conmebol, the governing body of South American football, wrote on social media that “the last dance is here” and photos of Messi with an Argentine shirt.
Meanwhile, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) is trying to take advantage of Messi's last home game by raising the ticket price, with the cheapest price being $100 and the highest price being about $500.
Messi returned from her latest injury setback, scoring twice Wednesday and leading Miami in the League Cup final against Seattle Sound on Sunday.
Afterward, he admitted some initial fear and discomfort, fighting muscles for most of August.
“I want to be here,” Messi said. “When I come back [LA] galaxy [on August 17] I feel a little uncomfortable, I feel uncomfortable, but I want to play the game.
“It's really important to be here because it's a tough opponent who beat us in two games against them this year. I was a little scared in the first half, but afterward I felt a little bit scared. [more] Free. ”
The Associated Press information is used in this report.