The question that is keeping the football world busy now is whether Lionel Messi will be a part of the FIFA World Cup 2026 or not? On Tuesday, a post by AFA photographer Manuel Cortina stirred the football lovers.
Cortina posted a picture from Ezeiza training facility and mentioned that this might be Messi's "last ever training session" at Argentina's renowned base.
This touching news came just before Argentina's next match against Zambia, which will be their last home game before the tournament. As the World Cup is around the corner, a lot of people are now worried that the iconic footballer could hang up his boots sooner than they had hoped.
Fabrizio Romano Shares The Latest On Messi's Future
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has done some digging into the rumours to find out what is really going on. He has revealed that Messi has not yet decided about his future. That "last training" message must have been a farewell to his home crowd, but according to the reports, he is "taking it day by day" at the moment. The 38-year-old athlete wants to be really sure that his body can handle the stress of another big tournament.
Fabrizio pointed out that Messi's only intention is to play if he can definitely lead the team to victory. At the moment, his preparations for the 2026 World Cup are still "unclear" because he is concentrating on his fitness and health.
Argentina Coach Lionel Scaloni Hopes For Messi's One Last Dance
Though retirement is a big topic these days, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is at work all the time to support his captain to stay on the pitch. The day before the match with Zambia, Scaloni announced to the press that Messi would be part of the starting eleven.He even referred to this match as a "serious test" for the world champions.
Scaloni recognised that he is not able to order Messi to play; however, he feels that for the "good of football, " the legend must be in North America this summer. Meanwhile, the coach is calm and giving Messi the time to decide what is best for his career and the Albiceleste.