WHAT HAPPENED?
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi helped his country to global glory at Qatar 2022. He hoisted the most prestigious of trophies aloft at the end of a thrilling final showdown with France, completing his medal collection in the process.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Messi is now 38 years of age and plying his trade in MLS for Inter Miami, but has been showing there - in a record-breaking run of scoring braces - that he still boasts the quality and appetite required to compete at the highest level.
Getty ImagesWHAT RONALDO SAID
Two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo expects Messi to remain a difference maker when FIFA’s flagship event heads to the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026. R9 told DSports: “Having Leo is a huge advantage over the rest of us normal people in the world. I see him in great shape, and I think he’ll arrive at the World Cup in good form too.”
Next Match
Ronaldo added on Messi doing his bit for the collective cause, having faced accusations of strolling around more as he gets older: “I was watching Messi’s games at the Club World Cup, and he’s still got it. Every time he touches the ball, something interesting happens. He always reads the game well, understands the play that needs to be made. If he loses the ball, he tries to get it back. He sprints 30 or 40 metres.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Argentina will be among the favourites when another World Cup title comes up for grabs, with Ronaldo - who has asked questions of how competitive Brazil are going to be - saying of the Albiceleste as a collective: “(Lionel) Scaloni has built a team that plays soccer with a lot of drive and commitment. A team that supports each other all the time. A very smart team that also knows how to suffer.”
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ARGENTINA?
Argentina and Brazil have already booked their tickets to the 2026 World Cup, meaning that they can rest and rotate through the final two rounds of qualification fixtures in the CONMEBOL section.