Lionel Messi made sure he had good memories of playing a home qualifier with Argentina for the last time in his illustrious career.
Messi scored twice on Thursday in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Venezuela in front of a raucous sellout crowd that had gathered at Estadio Monumental to bid him farewell.
“Being able to finish this way here is what I’ve always dreamed of,” Messi said. “I’ve experienced a lot of things on this pitch, both good and not so good, but it’s always a joy to play in Argentina, in front of our fans.”
Messi is yet to give any clues about when he will retire from internationals. But the qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup will begin in 2027, when he is 40.
The Argentina captain scored in the 39th and 80th minutes. He was denied a hat-trick in the dying moments when his effort was ruled out by an offside flag. Lautaro Martínez added a goal in the 76th.
Messi has 36 goals in South American World Cup qualifiers and remains the all-time scoring leader. His Inter Miami teammate Luis Suarez has 29 goals in continental qualifying, but he has retired from international duty.
Looking ahead, Messi clarified that he will only compete in next year’s World Cup if he feels physically fit.
“Same as I said before about the World Cup that I don’t think I’ll play another. Because of my age, the most logical thing is that I won’t make it,” he said. “But well, we’re almost there so I’m excited and motivated to play it. Like I always say, I go day by day, match by match. That’s it, taking it day by day, going by how I feel.
“Day by day, trying to feel good and above all, being honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it, but when I don’t, honestly, I don’t have a good time, so I prefer not to be there if I don’t feel good. So we’ll see. I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup.
“Match by match, I’ll finish the season, then I’ll have preseason, and there will be six months left. So we’ll see how I feel. Hopefully I’ll have a good preseason in 2026 and finish this MLS season well and then I’ll decide.”
Already qualified, the World Cup champions extended their tally to 38 points and will remain atop the South American qualifying standings regardless of what happens in the last round next Tuesday.
Defeat for Venezuela confirmed Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay joined Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador as the automatic qualifiers from South America.
Colombia and Uruguay marked their qualifications with 3-0 wins over Bolivia and Peru respectively, while Paraguay and Ecuador drew 0-0. Brazil beat Chile 3-0 in the night’s other match.
Venezuela have a one-point lead over Bolivia with one match remaining in the fight for a play-off spot
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