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Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has responded to Lionel Messi’s claim that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be his last.
Lionel Messi, 35, announced that he will be competing in his last FIFA World Cup in Qatar, saying:
“This will be my last World Cup — for sure. The decision has been made.”
However, Martinez has hilariously rubbished the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s claim.
He told ESPN Argentina (via PSG Talk):
“How will this be Messi’s last World Cup? No, no he’s crazy, we’re not going to let him leave … We’ll go to war for him.”
Lionel Messi: “There’s a generation of kids who grew up with me, saw me champion with Argentina and made the bond stronger. I feel like they’re going to back me until the final.” This in an interview with @giraltpablo. 🇦🇷
Lionel Messi will captain La Albiceleste at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the nation are among the frontrunners to lift the trophy.
The PSG forward has earned 164 international caps, scoring 90 goals, the most for his country.
Martinez is expected to be part of the side that heads to Qatar. He has turned out nine times under Lionel Scaloni.
Both the defender and Messi have impressed on club duty this season, with Martinez making 16 appearances across competitions for United.
Meanwhile, Messi has bagged 11 goals and 12 assists in 16 appearances in all competitions for PSG.
Argentina qualified for the FIFA World Cup in second place in the CONMBEOL table with 11 wins and six draws in 17 fixtures.
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Lionel Messi analyzed Argentina’s World Cup group and insisted that there are no easy opponents
Argentina will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland in Group C of the World Cup in Qatar.
The closest Lionel Messi has come to lifting the trophy came back in 2014 when La Albiceleste suffered a 1-0 defeat to Germany in the final in extra time.
Lionel Messi on finally winning the Copa America with Argentina in 2021:🗣️ “There is an image in which you see me kneeling, at that moment, I thought – ‘It is done’.”
He will hope to go one step further this time around but has given an honest assessment of the group Argentina have been drawn in.
He told TyC Sports:
“We know from experience that there are no easy rivals. And the last World Cup happened to us, when we also held the group and in the end we ended up getting complicated.”
Messi explained the types of sides they will come up against in Mexico and Poland:
“Mexico is a national team that always cost us, that plays very well. Although we were generally lucky and pass or win, it’s a team that plays very well, that has a very clear idea, with a coach who knows what Argentina is, and they know us very well, and it will surely be a difficult group, just like the match with Poland. “
He concluded by saying:
“The entire World Cup is going to be tough, but obviously a priori, because of names, I always preferred that the teams with fewer names play you later on”.
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