SUMMARY
- Lionel Messi opened up about when he would retire from soccer and what his plans are post-retirement.
- The Argentine star also revealed that he would have retired from international soccer if he did not win the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has again touched up on the topic of his retirement. With the 36-year-old now in the twilight of his career, we will not be able to witness his greatness for too long. However, he still refused to mention a specific timeline. Messi claims he will know it is time to retire when three of his conditions are met.
“I know that as soon as I believe that I can no longer perform, or no longer enjoy the game, or not able to help my team-mates, then I will stop,” Messi told the podcast Big Time (as translated by The Athletic).
“I am really self-critical; I know when I am good and when I am bad. So for my retirement, it will not matter what age I am. If I feel good, I will keep playing.”
Messi: “Retiring? The moment I feel that I am not here to give, that there are no fruits, that I am not helping my colleagues, I will take a step without thinking about age. If I feel good, I’ll keep competing, because that’s what I like. When I retire, I don’t know what I’m… pic.twitter.com/Bam9tGBNjl
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) March 27, 2024
With Messi approaching the end of his playing career, everyone is eager to know if he will continue to ply his trade in the soccer world. He has previously expressed a desire to be a sporting director. However, when he was asked about post-retirement plans on Big Time, he said he has none. The Argentine admitted that he is committed to enjoying his soccer as of now.
“I hope to continue playing for a while longer, that is my plan. After that, I will try to do something I like in a new role,” Messi added.
The Argentine World Cup winner made several revelations during his appearance on the podcast which was aired on Saudi Arabia TV. If he did not bag the World Cup 2022, he would have probably never donned an Argentina shirt on the field again.
Lionel Messi would have retired from international soccer if he did not win the FIFA World Cup 2022
Messi and Argentina were counted out as contenders after their loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stage. However, they managed to crawl back in and win the tournament in thrilling fashion. The Argentina skipper managed to win his second World Cup Golden Ball as well.
If it had not worked out in the South American nation’s favor, Messi would have retired. “If things had not happened the way they did (winning the World Cup), I would have retired from the international team, because I was about to take another change in my (club) career,” he continued. “Being world champions for us, our families and the entire country was magical, it will stay with us for the rest of our lives.”
Soon after the World Cup triumph, Messi made a shocking move to the USA. He joined Inter Miami CF, which is co-owned by David Beckham.
Tracing back, Messi’s love-hate relationship with Paris Saint-Germain seems to have resulted in his Inter Miami move. If we go further back, it was his sudden move away from FC Barcelona – A move he was not prepared for.
Lionel Messi was reluctant to move away from FC Barcelona
Lionel Messi’s farewell from the Catalan giants was an emotional affair. No one wanted him to leave but circumstances were such. It was expected that Messi would hang up his boots at the very club that made him the world’s best player. The Argentine probably thought similarly. He was not prepared to leave but he had to.
“It all happened so quickly, and I had to rebuild my life the next day,” Messi said. “It was a new league, a new club, a new dressing room. I was not looking for that change, and it was difficult at the beginning.”
“I gave everything for this club, for this shirt”
An emotional Lionel Messi says his final goodbye to Barcelona 😢 pic.twitter.com/CjkU1k6odl
— GOAL (@goal) August 8, 2021
Lionel Messi spent almost two decades in Barcelona. He took his leave in the summer of 2021 and was signed by PSG. He won the French league twice in his two seasons at the club but there was not much else to remember from his time at Paris.