Messi should play as long as he can – Argentina boss Scaloni،
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has encouraged Lionel Messi to continue playing “as long as he can”.
Messi, 36, who recently completed his first season with Inter Miami CF in MLS, has not given any indication as to when he will retire from football.
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“We tell him [Messi] play as long as he can,” Scaloni told Christian Vieri in an interview on Twitch.
“He has proven that he has no end. You don’t know when he will give [it] up. It’s incredible.”
According to Scaloni, the football field is a refuge for the player.
“He’s happy on a football field,” he said. “Apart from that, I think it’s difficult to be Leo because he goes out of the house and he’s surrounded by a lot of people. On the pitch, where the ball is, he’s happy.”
At least for Messi, he has the triumph he lacked in his career after winning the 2022 World Cup.
Messi was voted player of the tournament in Qatar after scoring seven goals and setting up three more in seven matches, helping Argentina win their first world title in 36 years.
“Everyone says the World Cup is the most extraordinary thing for a player,” Scaloni said. “He was missing [winning] a World Cup.
“I believe that as good as he was, he also played [in Qatar] with his heart. And then he becomes unstoppable. »
Scaloni still marvels at Messi’s talent, even after coaching him since 2018.
“Looking at it up close, it’s something very difficult to describe,” Scaloni said. “You have to see him. If I told you what he does in training, you wouldn’t believe me. It’s crazy.”
Messi has expressed a desire to continue playing for Argentina, but unlike his teammate Ángel Di María, who announced he would retire after the 2024 Copa America, the former Barcelona star has not taken any time off. decision.
“I think he can continue to play [for the national team] but the decision is his,” Scaloni said of Messi. “He can play wherever he wants and the team organizes itself around him. “
Messi, who has a contract with Inter Miami until December 2025, suffered a muscle injury while playing for Argentina in a 1-0 win over Brazil on November 21.
In October, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner expressed his desire to play football for the foreseeable future.
“I don’t know if I have much or little left, but after the career I’ve had, the only thing left for me is to continue enjoying it,” Messi said.
“As long as I am in good physical shape I will continue to compete, hopefully for a long time.”
