Lionel Messi’s participation within the 2026 World Cup has been a scorching subject because the match approaches, with questions on his health and kind dominating the dialogue. With lower than a yr to kickoff, Messi’s former Argentina teammate and buddy Angel Di Maria addressed the controversy, making it clear that the No. 10 will likely be a part of the squad.
After turning 38 in 2025, the primary query has been whether or not Messi can preserve top-level efficiency and keep totally match to characteristic usually for coach Lionel Scaloni. The talk intensified after Messi missed each video games within the March worldwide window and noticed restricted minutes in June, reigniting hypothesis about his function in Qatar’s successor match.
In an interview with Argentine outlet La Nación, Di Maria was requested immediately if Messi would play within the 2026 World Cup, and his reply left no room for doubt: “Sure, sure. It doesn’t matter what form he’s in, Leo has to play the World Cup it doesn’t matter what. It’s him, and he’s additionally the explanation the nationwide crew retains rising and the individuals maintain their hope alive. It’s him.”
The winger then drew a comparability between Messi and Diego Maradona: “It’s like when Diego was round. It’s them, and there’s no one else like them. They’re from one other planet, they’re not from right here. So we now have to maintain having fun with him, and hopefully Leo makes it in the very best situation. He’s a phenomenon—let’s not waste the possibility to maintain watching him.”
Di Maria retired from worldwide responsibility after Argentina’s 2024 Copa America triumph within the U.S., practically 16 years after his debut in 2008. Now again in Argentina along with his boyhood membership Rosario Central, the ahead stays satisfied that Messi will, and should, be a part of the nationwide crew for subsequent yr’s World Cup.
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Messi influenced Di Maria into the MLS
Main League Soccer has remodeled since Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami in 2023, drawing international consideration and hundreds of thousands of latest followers. This so-called “Messi impact” seems to have reached even stars like his former Argentina teammate.
“I had by no means watched MLS, and now I’ve subscribed simply to see Inter Miami’s video games, solely as a result of he’s there, as a result of I wish to maintain watching him,” Di Maria admitted within the interview, additional proving the Argentine celebrity’s impression on the league.
