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Lionel Messi took a heartfelt look back on his “journey” with Argentina as he assured the group of their place in history regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s World Cup final.
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At 39 years old, there is a sense that Sunday’s game could be not only Messi’s last at the World Cup, but perhaps even bring the curtain down on his famous career with Argentina. La Albiceleste is looking to go back-to-back on soccer’s biggest stage, but Messi believes the team will be remembered as all-time greats even if Spain comes out on top at MetLife Stadium.
“The nicest thing about all these years was never just the titles, but the whole journey,” he wrote on Instagram. “Sharing every day with this group, competing together, getting back up in difficult moments and enjoying every step.
“Thank you to each of my teammates, the coaching staff and all the people who work every day to keep this team a family.
“Whatever happens [in the final], this group has already written a history that we will never forget and that no one will be able to erase.”
Will Lionel Messi Retire From International Duty After the World Cup?
Just a few months ago, there were no guarantees Messi would even be playing at this World Cup. He’d repeatedly insisted he would listen to his body and make a late call, with confirmation only coming as he was named in Lionel Scaloni’s final roster.
Messi’s passion for international duty is no secret. Back in 2016 after Argentina’s defeat to Chile in the Copa América final-coincidentally also at MetLife Stadium-Messi retired from international duty, insisting the heartbreak of failing to take his team over the line was too much to handle. An outpour of support from Argentinian fans ultimately convinced him to reverse his decision.
There was a feeling that, after ending Argentina’s 28-year wait for a trophy in the 2021 Copa América and adding the 2022 World Cup to his cabinet, Messi would believe his job was done, but he has repeatedly admitted playing with this Argentinian group gives him the sort of joy that has been impossible to abandon.
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Where does the story end? Scaloni insisted in early June that Messi would continue playing for Argentina “as long as he wants” and, when asked ahead of Sunday’s final whether fans would ever see him in an international jersey again, Scaloni insisted he was just as clueless as everybody else.
“What do I know? Ask him,” the Argentina boss laughed. “I don’t have the faintest idea, to be honest. He doesn’t stop surprising us.”
Messi may have dropped a hint over his future during a recent press conference, when it was put to him that his life was like a video game in which he kept unlocking more levels.
“I already completed [the game] at the last World Cup,” he smiled. “That’s it. The game is over. I’m done.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lionel Messi Shows His True Colors With Pre-World Cup Final Message.
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This story was originally published July 19, 2026 at 5:00 AM.