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Is this Lionel Messi’s swan song?
The 39-year-old superstar forward is in the midst of his sixth World Cup with Argentina (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026), with the country being the defending champions of the World Cup (2022) and Copa América (2024). Argentina will face England in the semi-final round of the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday afternoon.
Regarding Messi, the Argentine legend stated in June that he would continue playing until “he can’t take it anymore.” When asked about playing in the 2030 World Cup, Messi expressed that he will play “as long as he can contribute, feel good physically and help his teammates.”
In Argentina’s six games at the 2026 World Cup, Messi has totaled eight goals, tied with French star Kylian Mbappé for the most in the tournament, and two assists. Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s June 16 victory over Algeria and a brace in its June 22 victory against Austria. He has scored in five of the team’s six games.
In the six World Cups in which he has participated with Argentina, Messi has accumulated a combined total of 21 goals and eight assists.
In addition to playing for the Argentine national team, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and 13-time National League champion has spent the last four seasons with Inter Miami in the MLS (appearing in six games in 2023), averaging 24.5 goals and 13.5 assists per season between 2024 and 2025, while accumulating 12 goals and seven assists in 14 games so far in 2026; The current MLS season stopped during the World Cup. Messi and Inter Miami won the 2025 MLS championship.
Messi and Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo are the only two players to have appeared in six World Cups.
How to watch England against Argentina
