BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA) (ITALPRESS) – “Watching him play is something wonderful. I don’t know when he will stop, but I don’t like being nostalgic in advance or thinking about what will happen; I prefer to enjoy the moment. I think everyone wants to see Lionel Messi play, not just Argentinians.”
These were the words of Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach, Lionel Scaloni, in an interview with CONMEBOL regarding Messi, who has not yet officially confirmed his participation in the tournament, although everything suggests that the Inter Miami CF star will be there.
“I would really like him to be there, but the decision is his,” Scaloni had said at a press conference last March, while in the meantime he included Messi in the list of 55 preliminary call-ups.
“I don’t know what he will do in the future. Obviously, I hope he keeps playing for a long time, because otherwise we will feel sad, just as we did when Diego Maradona retired. These are players who have marked the history of football, and thinking that at some point they will have to stop playing is something that gives you no peace. That’s why I prefer to think about the present,” Scaloni explained to CONMEBOL.
Argentina, drawn in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan, heads into the tournament as defending champion, looking to retain the title won four years ago in Qatar.
“Obviously, we will try to win the fourth World Cup in the history of the Albiceleste, because Argentina must always aim for first place whenever it takes part in a World Cup or any other tournament. The truth is that it will be very difficult, although not impossible,” Scaloni concluded.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
