Topic: FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread - page 100. (Read 62847 times)

Messi may have done all that he could do for, win all the cups with his national team, win all the cups (most of them multiple times) with clubs, won all the personal achievements, broke a record for ballon d'or that is so high that I think it would not be possible for anyone else to ever break in the future.

Basically, that dude is just having fun at this point, not sure how long he will stay at Miami, but I feel like if I hear him just retire and live rest of his life at ease somewhere in Miami for 40 years, I would not be shocked to hear that neither. Dude is basically on vacation, he is making a good chunk of money but nobody expects him to do anything, he just does whatever he wants to do and has fun at this point.

Yeah, I think after winning the world cup it was the perfect time to retire.

But we'll see, maybe he's busy with some plans that we are not aware of.

And as I said, he might just simply enjoy it too much, and might continue to play for a long time.

Well of course they are not going to take the help of technology if they are getting paid by one of the teams to make sure that the decisions go their way. And we all know that it is not some alien idea. It has been done previously. Even by a lot of litigious clubs.

Clubs like Barcelona has been paying a lot of money to the referees previously to make sure that the results go their way. The thing is Barcelona was very good back then. And the technology was not so advanced. So in the end, we just said that it was "human error" and moved on with our lives. But now we all know that has been happening. And don't get me wrong. I am just using Barcelona as an example. There are other clubs which have done the same thing.

Yes we are still witnessing that kind of ambiguous situations as well. Just why would you be so sure of your decision and not even leave it to VAR review?

There have been so many examples in many matches since this technology has started to be used.    If there is a huge level of objection by the players to a certain incident then referees shouldn't just be obstinate. I remember quite many incidents turning out to be wrongly evaluated by referees just because of not watching them. Technology isn't their enemy, they should use it more often to make the doubts disappear.

Yeah, I agree with you.

But it is probably difficult to stop doing something you have been doing your whole life, and that you are one of the best in the world, enjoy it, and also get paid a lot for doing it.

I don't know, probably it would be a tough spot to be in, but still a good problem to have.
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Lionel Messi have achieved everything that's expected of a footballer and today, he's regarded by many as the greatest footballer that's ever graced the beautiful round leather game called football so the decision on when he's going to retire from international football I think is down to his personal choice. We've seen play for Argentina during he international breaks and his contributions to the teams impressive performances further explains that the Argentina national team captain is still very much capable to continue playing for the team.

Though Argentina have other young talented players that are capable of taking over from Messi when he retires, but the experience and leadership qualities of Lionel Messi is still needed in the team and that's why he'll always be part of the Argentina national team until when he finally decides to call it a day in his illustrious and successful international career.

The next edition of the FIFA World Cup is two year away from now and for a player that's currently 36 years of age, there are possibilities that Lionel Messi might feature in that World Cup tournament for his country.

I think Messi is talented and smart enough but just as a player otherwise, he can't make good decisions as a normal person to have himself show a better face. He could get retire even after the last World Cup when he got the title and everything was good for him and his team. This way he could make people remember him always as a legend, not an old player who is far from his good days.
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Yeah, I agree with you.

But it is probably difficult to stop doing something you have been doing your whole life, and that you are one of the best in the world, enjoy it, and also get paid a lot for doing it.

I don't know, probably it would be a tough spot to be in, but still a good problem to have.

If he were at least not stupid (as a person and not a player), then he would refuse at least part of the stolen Ballon D'ors. And it is unlikely that he would have made the move to PSG (where he failed and showed his real level). But now it’s too late to speculate, only business interests remain, first the Olympics in Paris, then the World Cup 2026. When hundreds of millions are at stake, this can be understood, although there is still a moral side to the issue, but money outweighs.

I think Messi is talented and smart enough but just as a player otherwise, he can't make good decisions as a normal person to have himself show a better face. He could get retire even after the last World Cup when he got the title and everything was good for him and his team. This way he could make people remember him always as a legend, not an old player who is far from his good days.

messi can still make a big contribution to the argentine national team, he is a senior player and when he plays he will definitely be more relaxed, even though he is relaxed he is a very creative player. argentina is still a team that will always be a big threat to other teams in the world cup, for other teams i don't believe they will be champions but for argentina, they are always the favorites.

Yeah, it would have been a great time to retire really, being the champion and winning everything.

But I guess if you have been playing all your life, you just want to continue.

I do think it would be fair to give other players the chance to play and he can move on.

He will still make millions with ads.

I remember even in the last World Cup when Argentina won the title some people were expecting to see Messi getting retired after that game from the international matches but he didn't do that. I think Messi is getting old and playing at this age while he is not in good form and making people to have bad memories of this legendary player especially if he plays in an important tournament like the 2026 World Cup for his country.

I don't think if money is the only problem for Messi, If he wanted to earn more money he could choose to play in the Saudi League and earn lots of money in a short period of time. In fact decided to play for Inter Miami and I think the reason for him choosing this league was mostly that Messi wanted to live his life in the USA with his family otherwise he could have had the better option and coaching the MLS means Messi wants to stay away from being under more pressure and maybe he wants to get retired from the national games soon.

That's true but for someone who loves football it's not the first choice. Playing for the world cup is a matter of pride for any football player around the world. It cannot be compared with money. Moreover, I think with his wealth Messi has got everything he wants. He is one of the richest athletes in the world. So if Messi is still called up to the national team I think he will still participate and maybe it will be his last world cup before retirement.

Yeah, I think FIFA should test these things at smaller competitions first and get some feedback from the people.

At the end of the day it's a business so they want to maximize people paying for tickets, merch, streaming rights, etc.

The last piece of the puzzle in a career but not in business. How else can we explain the fact that he is going (according to leaks) to take part in the Olympics (youth tournament lol) in Paris together with Di Maria? Messi is a big brand and they will milk him until he can move around the field at all (even in his best years he didn’t really run, so the difference won’t be very noticeable hahaha).

That is definitely true, if we had robotic referees, who made the right decision %100 of the time, the game may or may not feel fun but it would be at least fair. In situations where a foul may not be given, because the game is flowing well and you do not want to stop it, you would have the robot one stopping the game anyway, they may or may not have the "play the advantage" mindset but even if they do, stopping the game three times more than a regular referee would be a lot worse to watch, all games would be based on set pieces after that.

So, there should be a bit of a test and trial period where real referees would get feedback from the robotic ones and make their decisions, sort of like a tool instead of ruling the game themselves.

Messi is currently 36 years old with most chances in 2026 he could be 39 and with his fitness and performance we can expect him in the next world cup because he is doing good in his recent match which are the playing in MLS which is not competitive like UEFA but still good for him to stay fully fit and in good form for the next world cup.

Now as we have recent updates problems between Argentinean coach and Messi ended and both are ready to stay which is good development and surely all soccer fans especially Argentinean soccer fans will be happier because with this now chances are high for their team to defend title in the next world cup which is going to play in the USA/Canada/ Mexico in 2026 with the new format and 48 teams.

He is already GOAT in Argentinean soccer due to his flawless successes and next world cup can give him another level of hero with his success.

If lionel messi wants a lot of money, he should play in the Saudi Arabian league. not in the MLS league of the united states. just like other top European players who moved to the Saudi Arabian league. ronaldo, sadio mane and more. because clubs in Saudi Arabia offer very large contracts and salaries.

Maybe if you look at Messi's age, he is no longer young and why he still wants to play in the 2026 World Cup, I see that Messi only wants to provide motivation to young Argentine players by playing or just being a reserve player, but his presence is able to make the Argentine players even more motivated if Messi playing,
Yes, I agree, everyone still wants to see Messi play in the 2026 World Cup, even though anything could happen with Messi's own fitness condition.
Even though Messi can still play and is needed by Argentina, I think Messi is enough of a footballer because yesterday's 2023 world title made him a legend.

Well that should be a consideration for the coach, indeed when both players can still be called up to strengthen the national team, but they must first consider providing opportunities for younger players. Because when these two players are still playing, I'm not sure whether they will make a big contribution or not, I don't doubt them, but considering their age, of course it will be a consideration for us.
I think they also as players must provide opportunities for their juniors to be able to feel the atmosphere of the World Cup, because it cannot be denied that there they will gain a lot of valuable experience which later might motivate them to do even better.