Messi heads into historic sixth World Cup ‘as excited as ever’

Lionel Messi will on Tuesday become the first footballer to play in a sixth World Cup, the latest chapter of a 20-year love story with the tournament that reached its climax at Qatar 2022, when the footballer’s longstanding dream to win it was finally fulfilled.

Today, the Argentine superstar himself is the first to be surprised by, and delighted with, his extraordinary longevity. =“I’m happy, enjoying every moment and as excited as ever,” he said on Tuesday after a 3-0 friendly victory over Iceland in Auburn, Alabama.

Eight days before his 39th birthday, Messi will lead out the Albiceleste on Tuesday as they begin the defence of the crown won in Qatar, the ultimate triumph that seemed to top off Messi’s career, the most majestic in football history.

Since then, time has passed, but the skipper has not stepped away. Argentina retained the Copa América title in 2024 and the entire country began to dream once again of seeing Messi lead another World Cup mission.

Messi resisted revealing his plans and, as always, let his football do the talking. He has 62 goals in 67 Major League Soccer appearances since joining Inter Miami, the club he lifted from the bottom of the standings and guided to its first title. The performances have left little in doubt: the hunger remains intact.

Without fanfare or special announcements, Messi allowed Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni to confirm his participation in the biggest World Cup in history when he unveiled the squad on May 28.

“There had been doubts because of what I said at the previous World Cup, that I thought it would be difficult for me to play in another one because so many years had to pass,” he explained during Tuesday’s media session.

“But I kept feeling good and taking things day by day. I had the opportunity to play, get into rhythm, get minutes on the pitch and gradually feel better. It happened naturally.”

The No. 10, who returned against Iceland after recovering from a muscle strain, marked his comeback with a penalty goal.

With a week left to fine-tune preparations, Messi has withdrawn into Argentina’s training base in Kansas City alongside his trusted teammates.

He has not spoken publicly since arriving, but on Saturday he could not resist a moment of nostalgia, sharing photographs from his six World Cup journeys with his 506 million Instagram followers.

One image showed his debut at Germany 2006, still an 18-year-old without senior player status, unable to prevent Argentina’s quarter-final defeat to the hosts.

Another came from South Africa 2010, where Argentina once again crashed into the German wall in the quarter-finals, with then-coach Diego Maradona beside him as a symbol of the passing of the torch between Argentine geniuses.

The disappointments became heartbreak in Brazil 2014, with defeat to Germany in the final, and at Russia 2018, where France ended Argentina’s campaign in the last 16.

The accumulation of frustrations even led him to briefly retire from international football after Argentina’s defeat in the 2016 Copa América final.

But the final, and greatest, dream of the boy from Rosario was waiting in 2022, when victory in Qatar secured him an eternal place in the hearts of his countrymen.

As he begins another quest for glory, Messi will undoubtedly add to his unrivalled collection of records.

Simply by stepping onto the pitch on Tuesday against Algeria, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star will become the first player ever to appear at six World Cups.

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo will have to wait until Wednesday to follow suit, while Guillermo Ochoa – who is also taking part in a sixth tournament – watched Mexico’s opening match from the bench.

In 26 World Cup appearances – already a tournament record – Messi has scored 13 goals and stands three short of the all-time mark held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose.

Tuesday’s match will also see him reach 200 international appearances for Argentina – another unmatched milestone in the three-time world champions’ history.

Yet beyond his staggering numbers, supporters are eager to see whether Messi remains physically capable of meeting the demands of football’s most gruelling tournament.

His rivals, meanwhile, do not need to see him on the pitch to fear him.

“He’s the best player football has ever seen. He’s still very dangerous. It’s difficult to stop him even at 38,” France winger Ousmane Dembélé said this week in an interview with Spanish outlet Marca.

“We’ll have to be careful with him because he’s capable of winning it again,” warned Dembélé, the most recent Ballon d’Or winner not named Messi, whose name appears on the trophy’s honours list a record eight times.