'Not retiring,' Lionel Messi will continue to play for Argentina
Legend Lionel Messi will continue to play for Argentina in international football. The 35-year-old admitted the same after guiding his side to a historic FIFA World Cup title on Sunday. He scored twice before Argentina defeated France in the penalty shootout. Last week, the Argentine star confirmed that the final would be the last World Cup game of his career.
Why does this story matter?
Messi appeared at his fifth World Cup, having surpassed Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano in this regard (four each). The Argentine legend now holds the most appearances in World Cup history, overtaking Germany's Lothar Matthaus (25). Messi was supposed to retire from the World Cup after what turned out to be a record-breaking final. However, the historic title seems to have charged him up.
Not going to retire: Messi
"No, I'm not going to retire from the Argentina national team. I want to continue playing as a champion," Messi told TyC Sports. "It's crazy that it happened this way. I wanted it very much. I knew that God was going to give it to me, I had a feeling that it was going to be this way. Now to enjoy."
Messi breaks these records
As per William Hill, Messi has become the first man in WC history to score in all five rounds at a single tournament - group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. Messi (35y 177d) is now the second-oldest player to score in a WC final, only Sweden's Nils Liedholm was older when he scored against Brazil in 1958 (35y 264d).
Messi attains these feats
As per Opta, Messi's 21 goal involvements (G13 A8) are the most of any player on record at the World Cup (1966 onwards). Messi scored his 13th goal in the FIFA World Cup, becoming the joint-fourth-highest goal-scorer in the competition alongside Just Fontaine. Messi (26) is now the most capped player in the World Cup, steering clear of Lothar Matthaus (25).
A second Golden Ball award
Messi won his second Golden Ball award, having been a recipient of it in the 2014 edition. As per Squawka, he is the first player to win multiple Player of the Tournament awards. Messi netted seven goals, with four of those from penalties. He had 18 shots on target and enjoyed a shot accuracy of 62.07. Messi created a whopping 21 chances (three assists).
Arguably the best FIFA World Cup final
Messi converted a penalty in the 23rd minute after Ousmane Dembele's foul on Angel Di Maria. Di Maria extended their lead with an incredible goal (36'). Mbappe pulled one back after halftime and netted the equalizer within 97 seconds. Both Messi (108') and Mbappe (118') scored once each in extra time. Argentina then prevailed 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
Third World Cup honor for Argentina
Argentina have won their first World Cup title in 36 years. They also clinched the honor in 1978 and 1986. Only Italy (44 from 1938 to 1982) have ever had a longer gap between winning two World Cups.
