Lionel Messi has confirmed he will play his last World Cup game when Argentina takes on France or Morocco in Sunday’s final at the FIFA world cup 2022.
The 35-year-old who is playing at his fifth world cup surpassed Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano, who played four times at the tournament.
With his fifth goal in Qatar, Messi also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as the top Albiceleste scorer at World Cups, netting 11 times.
Born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Santa Fe, Messi is the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop.
Messi’s school life in Argentina, he did attend Escuela Nº 66 General Las Heras, located in the Santa Fe province of Rosario not far from where he lived. Messi was an average student. A quiet child, he always came to school with a ball.
He joined Barcelona’s famed La Masia, one of the top football training facilities. It was there that Messi attended Leon XIII School, the school every La Masia resident attends.
One of the greatest football players of all time, Messi has a record of seven Ballon d’Or victories, and six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020, he was selected for the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
With Tuesday’s victory at the FIFA semifinals, Argentina celebrated the national team’s sixth world cup final appearance.
Messi has played 170 games and has scored record 95 goals for Argentina in international tournaments.