Lionel Messi insists he will NOT retire from international football after Argentina win World Cup

Matt Verri18 December 2022

Lionel Messi has revealed he does not intend to retire from international football after Argentina’s dramatic World Cup final victory.

The 35-year-old finally got his hand’s on football’s biggest prize, netting twice in a remarkable encounter with France. His penalty and Angel di Maria’s first-half strike put Argentina 2-0 up at half-time, but Kylian Mbappe scored twice in 97 seconds to send it to extra-time.

Messi looked to have won it as he found the back of the net for the seventh time in Qatar, only for Mbappe to equalise again as the final went to penalties.

Both scored in the shootout but Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni were then unable to convert their spot-kicks, setting the stage for Gonzalo Montiel to give Argentina a 4-2 win on penalties after it finished 3-3 at the end of 120 minutes.

Argentina’s World Cup campaign got off to a disastrous start when they were stunned by Saudi Arabia in their opening group-stage match, but Messi dragged them into the knockout stages and scored in every round as he picked up the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament.

It is their first World Cup trophy since Diego Maradona led them to glory in 1986, and it comes 18 months on from the Copa America triumph. Messi now has his defining moment, fulfilling a destiny that appeared increasingly inevitable as the tournament went on.

However, speaking after the match, Messi insisted the final would not be his final international game.

“No, I’m not gonna retire from the national team,” Messi told TyC Sports.

“I want to keep playing as World Cup champions with the Argentina shirt.”

On lifting the World Cup, he added: “I knew that God was going to give it to me.”

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