Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has suggested that he will retirement from international football, if Argentine fail to lift this summer’s World Cup in Russia. The 30-year-old has never won a major international trophy with his country, and this has created a difficult relationship between him and the country’s faithful.
In an interview with Argentine news show La Cornisa, Messi has claimed that he is ready to ‘give up’ on the national team for good, if they fail to secure their first World Cup since 1986, he said: “We feel that, if we won't win the World Cup in Russia, the only way will be to give up the national team. I dream of winning the trophy in Russia. My wish is to live something similar to Brazil 2014. You can do everything OK and fail, like Argentina in Brazil. I dream of winning the trophy in Russia. My wish is to live something similar to Brazil 2014. You can do everything OK and fail, like Argentina in Brazil.”
Messi walked away from the international team once before in 2016 after the country succumbed to a Copa America final to Chile via a penalty shoot-out. However, the attacker managed to reverse his decision shortly after and helped Argentina secure a World Cup berth with a match-winning hat-trick against Ecuador in the final qualification game.
Much like Messi, several other Argentine players have tended to struggled with the pressure of playing for their national side, and this has put more pressure on the ex-La Masia graduate, who often tends to be the focus point in the attack for club and country. Nevertheless, Messi will be seeking more assistance from some of the creative players including Paulo Dybala and Angel di Maria to end the nation’s 32-year wait for the World Cup title.
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