According to goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, superstar Lionel Messi will help Argentina win the 2024 Copa America and possibly the 2026 World Cup.
Martinez (right) and Messi celebrate after Argentina beat the Netherlands in the World Cup quarter-finals on December 10, 2022 at Lusail Stadium, Qatar. Photo: Reuters
Messi is tipped to win his eighth Ballon d’Or, which will be presented on 30/10/23. His best achievement last season was winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, where goalkeeper Martinez also won the Golden Glove. Messi has said that the Qatar World Cup will be his last. However, the Argentines still hope that he will participate in the 2026 World Cup at the age of 39.
“Messi is the best player of all time,” said Martinez. “He has a special talent that no other player has. There will be no player like Messi in the future. We will win the Copa America next year and hopefully the World Cup in 2026.”
Messi’s individual achievements have always been outstanding. He has played 332 games in five European leagues in the past 10 years, with 169 Man of the Match awards, a rate of 50.9%, according to Whoscored . The second person is Cristiano Ronaldo, with 80 post-match honors, a rate of 27.1%.
Messi has played 1,028 games in his career, scoring 807 goals and assisting 357. He averages 1.13 goals or assists per game. Messi still has some big records to conquer, such as goals scored and goals for an international team. Ronaldo holds both records with 838 career goals and 123 for Portugal, but he’s not done yet.
Messi is on the books of Inter Miami, after joining the American club as a free agent. He will play his first game for the team in mid-July, after the summer break. Miami is currently bottom of the Eastern Conference in MLS. There have been players who played in the US and then returned to impress in Europe, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But now Messi says he has no more goals to strive for, after winning the World Cup.
