Lionel Messi at the start of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
Photo: Luciano González / EFE
The coach of the Argentina national team Lionel Scaloni confirmed in a press conference that Lionel Messi36 years old, no longer has the same shape as before and time is already taking its toll on him: “He asked me for the change”.
The figure of Inter Miami was the Author of a great goal from a free kick to give Argentina a 1-0 victory against Ecuador for the start of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, however, when there were just a few minutes left in the match He was replaced by Exequiel Palacios.
“He asked me for the change. If not, I won’t take it out.. It is obvious. Then we will evaluate to see what he has, but he asked for the change,” Scaloni replied to journalists after the match, since it is not frequent for the ’10’ to be replaced and he always plays 90 minutes.
The Argentine strategist also questioned Messi about playing in the Albiceleste’s next match against Bolivia in the always difficult altitude of La Paz. “If it’s not right, we’ll see what we do. We’ll see. “It’s all very recent.”he commented.
After dominating the football scene for more than 10 years together with Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi is gradually handing over the throne. At the end of 2022 he raised the trophy that was missing on his shelf in Qatar, the World Cup.
His arrival in the MLS, now as an established star, speaks of his intentions to lower the physical demands that kept him at the top for many years and to start thinking about retirement, even though his fans dream of seeing him play in the World Cup. 2026 to be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Keep reading:
– Lionel Scaloni wants to see Messi in the 2026 World Cup: “For the good of football we all want him to play”
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– Cristiano Ronaldo: “Messi and I have changed the history of football”