It had become a quasi-certainty. Lionel Messi, 38, would compete in the 2026 World Cup as a last round of honor before permanently hanging up the crampons with Argentina. The player himself maintained the vagueness, his coach Lionel Scaloni confessed “Do not know”and a whole country has prepared, with its throat, to say goodbye to its idol. But a shattering statement, from one of his closest friends, has just questioned everything.
“For me, it's not a farewell”
This declaration is that of Ángel Di María. The “Fideo”, a young international retiree, knows Messi better than anyone. And it is formal. “Leo has not yet retired,” he told Tyc Sports. While the last qualification match was presented as a farewell to the Argentinian public, Di María sweeps this idea: “For me, it is not a farewell. This is why I did not go to the stage. I spoke with him. I am happy that he is still there. »»
These words are not harmless. They suggest that in intimacy, Messi's speech is very different from that he holds in public. Di María, speaking of a match “after” the World Cup, suggests that the Albiceleste captain could well play extensions beyond 2026. A mad hypothesis, which goes completely against the current trend.
Di María's incredible revelation on Messi's future
Messi, the man who did not want to stop
If this revelation is confirmed, it would be a new drama that only Messi has the secret. While everyone is slowly pushing him towards the exit, he may well have other plans in mind. After all, he spent his career to push the limits of the possible. Why would it stop now?
This exit from Di María has the merit of completely reviving the suspense. She comes to contradict ambient pessimism and give hope to millions of supporters. Of course, only Messi has the answer. But this little sentence, released by the one who knows him best, could well be the sign that the love story between genius and his country is not yet completely over.
