Messi set to play ‘special match’ in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP):

Lionel Messi has not yet announced when he plans to retire, but he knows that next week’s match against Venezuela could be his last one playing at home in a World Cup qualifier with Argentina’s national team.

“It’s going to be a very, very special match for me because it’s the last qualifying match,” the 38-year-old Messi said Wednesday night after Inter Miami progressed to the Leagues Cup final by beating Orlando City.

Argentina, with a spot already secured in next year’s World Cup, will host Venezuela next Thursday at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires for the penultimate round of South American qualifiers. Their last match will be in Ecuador on September 9.

Messi has hinted that he will retire from the national team after next year’s World Cup, where Argentina will defend the title they won in Qatar 2022.

The qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup will begin in 2027, when the football star will be 40 years old.

“I don’t know if there will be friendlies or more matches after (Venezuela), but it is a very special match, so my family will be there with me: my wife, my children, my parents, my siblings,” Messi said. “We’re going to live it like that. I don’t know what will happen next.”

Following Messi’s statements, CONMEBOL, South American football’s governing body, wrote on social media that “the last dance is coming,” with a picture of Messi in an Argentina shirt.

Meanwhile, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) is trying to capitalise on Messi’s last home match by raising ticket prices, with the cheapest going for US$100 and the most expensive costing around US$500.