\n
T<\/span>Tell your family and friends that they know you best. That’s why the words of his friend, teammate and current coach of Lionel Messi had such an impact.<\/p>\nAmid uncertainty over whether No. 10 will feature in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Inter Miami coach and former Argentina teammate and Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano has no doubt that Leo will play in his sixth tournament. <\/p>\n
Mascherano gives his opinion on Messi’s participation in the World Cup<\/h2>\n
On Saturday, January 31st, Inter Miami played the second game of the 2026 preseason. Messi and his team traveled to the Attanasio Giraldot Stadium in Medellin, Colombia, to play against Atl\u00f3tico Nacional, a match Mascherano’s team won 2-1. <\/p>\n
After the win, the manager was asked by reporters about one of the biggest unknowns ahead of one of the most important events in football: the presence of star players at the World Cup. The question kept fans on edge, but Mascherano answered succinctly and emphatically. <\/p>\n
\nYes, why?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
His reaction not only doubled the stakes, but also reflected his blind faith in his former teammate. Javier and Leo have appeared in a total of 414 games together, making them the players who have shared the field of play most often in official matches, and currently share their daily lives at Inter Miami. <\/p>\n
This offers a unique perspective, and for this reason Mascherano’s words had a strong impact on the fans, who could not help but get excited about the possibility of seeing the ‘number 10’ play in another World Cup and defending the title he won in Qatar in 2022. <\/p>\n
Furthermore, “Mache” referred to Argentina’s World Cup group alongside Austria, Algeria and Jordan and assured that “the team will approach this competition in the best possible way, as we have had very good competition for a long time and have exceptional players.” Along similar lines, Javier emphasized the importance of listening to the players and managing their physical demands, asserting, “No one knows their bodies better than they (the players).” <\/p>\n
The Argentina national team and Messi ended a 36-year drought and were crowned world champions after a painful penalty shootout against Kylian Mbapp’s France. Lionel, who currently has his sights set on tournaments to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, could make history if he decides to play. <\/p>\n
Leo and Cristiano Ronaldo become the only two players in history to appear in six consecutive World Cups. <\/p>\n
However, despite fans’ excitement, the 38-year-old captain has not officially confirmed his participation in the tournament. Despite this, he has not closed the door on the World Cup. “I want to be in good shape to be sure that I can help. I don’t want to be a burden to my teammates,” he previously told Sport.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, all that remains is to wait, but the words of his coach and friend give fans a glimmer of hope.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TTell your family and friends that they know you best. That’s why the words of his friend, teammate and current coach of Lionel Messi had such an impact. Amid uncertainty over whether No. 10 will feature in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Inter Miami coach and former Argentina teammate and Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano has<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-22182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest"},"yoast_head":"\n
Javier Mascherano's words gave Leo Messi fans hope for his presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Javier Mascherano's words gave Leo Messi fans hope for his presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"TTell your family and friends that they know you best. That’s why the words of his friend, teammate and current coach of Lionel Messi had such an impact. Amid uncertainty over whether No. 10 will feature in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Inter Miami coach and former Argentina teammate and Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano has\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-01T18:55:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/\",\"name\":\"Javier Mascherano's words gave Leo Messi fans hope for his presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17699710951705.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-01T18:55:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17699710951705.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17699710951705.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Javier Mascherano’s words gave Leo Messi fans hope for his presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\",\"name\":\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"description\":\"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\",\"name\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Javier Mascherano's words gave Leo Messi fans hope for his presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Javier Mascherano's words gave Leo Messi fans hope for his presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","og_description":"TTell your family and friends that they know you best. That’s why the words of his friend, teammate and current coach of Lionel Messi had such an impact. Amid uncertainty over whether No. 10 will feature in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Inter Miami coach and former Argentina teammate and Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano has","og_url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/","og_site_name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","article_published_time":"2026-02-01T18:55:26+00:00","author":"admin_ok9yktt6","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin_ok9yktt6","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/","name":"Javier Mascherano's words gave Leo Messi fans hope for his presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17699710951705.png","datePublished":"2026-02-01T18:55:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17699710951705.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17699710951705.png","width":1200,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/javier-mascheranos-words-gave-leo-messi-fans-hope-for-his-presence-at-the-2026-fifa-world-cup\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Javier Mascherano’s words gave Leo Messi fans hope for his presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/","name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","description":"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9","name":"admin_ok9yktt6","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin_ok9yktt6"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/eplvip.com"],"url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}