As the FIFA World Cup, 2022 drew to a close in Qatar, the eyes of the world were on Argentina captain Lionel Messi. As well as being his country’s key player and winning the vote as the best player of the tournament, this was a big moment in Messi’s career for other reasons, as some analysts considered whether he would soon be retiring or seeking a new challenge.
His Current Situation
Messi has spent most of his career with Spanish club Barcelona, carving out a reputation as one of the world’s best-ever players as he became Barcelona’s leading goal scorer while helping them win a string of trophies. Over the years, Messi has been linked with numerous moves to England or Italy and related to various scandals that weren’t true.
Of course, salacious gossip and transfer speculation fuel a lot of ‘fake news’ online. As this list from ExpressVPN highlights, prolific sports legends are among the top 20 celebrities embroiled in fake news stunts. Messi hasn’t featured on the list this year, but it would be no surprise, especially following his antics in the World Cup, if his name featured heavily among fake news searches in 2023. Consider the weeks of constant whispers leading up to Messi’s departure from his beloved Spanish club – many thought this to be fake news until the official parties confirmed it.
The rumors turned out to be true for once when he signed for French outfit Paris Saint-Germain on August 2021. It was seen as a huge coup for the French team, one of the few clubs in the world able to afford Messi at the height of his career. Despite a relatively slow start to life in Paris, the Argentine settled in during his second season there and started recording the goal-scoring and assisting numbers we’ve come to expect from him.
What Happens Next?
While it was widely expected that Messi would retire from international football after this year’s World Cup, he suggested that he wants to enjoy playing as a World champion for a while after lifting the trophy. His comments to Argentine television, as reported by Al Jazeera, make us believe that he plans to add to his 98 goals in 172 international appearances. While the 2026 World Cup might be too far off for a player who is 35 years old at the time of writing, he might be looking at the Copa America 2024 as his swansong.
As for his club career, his two-year contract ends in 2023, but the Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has suggested that the player is happy to stay in France. Despite this, there have been many rumors about his next move, with hints that his former club Barcelona is desperate to get him back to Camp Nou for next season.
During the recent tournament in Qatar, rumors emerged that Messi was considering moving to the Major Soccer League (MLS) in the US. The stories pointed to the Inter Miami franchise feeling confident that they could persuade the Argentine to join them when his PSG contract ends. According to this report in The Guardian, it could be the biggest signing in American football history.
Lionel Messi has no intention of retiring from the club or international football. However, there are still doubts swirling around, and it may be some time before we find out exactly what his intentions for the future are.
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