Valdano: "Messi promised me that he would play at the 2026 World Cup"

Former Argentina striker Jorge Valdano has said that Lionel Messi wants to play at the 2026 World Cup.

"When I interviewed him before the World Cup, he told me off camera that he was going to play in his fifth World Cup and that no footballer had played in six. He told me that it was impossible and added: "if I become world champion, I will keep my shirt until the next world championship." "Football has shown that it is almost impossible to play in six World Cups," Valdano was quoted as saying by Goal.