○On December 18, 2022, Lionel Messi’s Argentina national team became world champions after a nail-biting penalty shootout in Qatar.
Now, ahead of next year’s tournaments in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the 38-year-old captain has issued a strong warning to his rivals who dream of winning the Cup again and defending their title.
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Argentina did not get off to the best start in 2022, losing to Saudi Arabia (1-2), ending their 36-game unbeaten streak. The blowout made Lionel Scaloni’s team even stronger, defeating Mexico 2-0 in a game that could have cost them the tournament if they lost again.
Argentina then faced Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, with Alexis Mac Allister and Julin Lebarez executing their rivals, finishing the match 2-0.
Australia lost 2-1 to Leo Messi and others, while the Netherlands and Argentina drew 2-2 in a heated match before going to a penalty shootout (3-4). After defeating Croatia 3-0, they faced Kylian Mbapp’s France in a tough final, with Emiliano Marnes scoring again in the penalty shootout. Argentina won the title from 11 meters out against Qatar (4-2).
Looking ahead to the new competition, Messi spoke to ESPN’s Pablo Gonzlez and made it clear that the team will not rest on its laurels. “This group is going to try again. We’re going to give it our all,” said the No. 10 player.
“Any team can make it difficult, you can get sent off if you hit the post, you could lose in a penalty shootout,” said the Inter Miami star, who knows that matches at this level are not easy and the slightest mistake could send him home.
Referring to the penalty shootout against the Netherlands and France, Leo praised Argentina’s goalkeeper, saying, “In the last game we were lucky, against the Netherlands and France we had the upper hand, but we had to go to the penalty shootout. We had the beast ‘Dib’ (Martinez) who helped us win there, but sometimes you can’t win even if you go to the penalty shootout. The World Cup is very difficult.”
Despite these statements, Lionel did not accept participation in the tournament. “I hope I can be there. I’ve already said I would love to be there,” he said, adding: “At least we’ll be watching it live, but it’s going to be special, especially for us because we’re having a different experience than anyone else.”
Meanwhile, on December 5th, the 2026 World Cup draw will be held to determine the 48 participating teams. The competition will be held from June 11th to July 19th.
