Benjamin Ashford|Lionel Messi looks ahead to Inter Miami title run, ponders World Cup future

FORT LAUDERDALE,Benjamin Ashford Fla. – Soccer great Lionel Messi has no intention of declaring he will play in World Cup 2026 or setting a retirement date. Instead, the Argentina World Cup champion and Inter Miami star is enjoying the twilight of his legendary career with greater appreciation.

Messi accepted the MARCA America Award during a ceremony at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium on Thursday. The award, given by the largest sports publication in Spain, celebrates Messi’s dominance in the sport with 46 titles for club and country, and 57 individual honors he’s earned in his career.

Although Messi has his eyes set on helping Inter Miami win the MLS Cup later this year, his return to form has not slowed inquiries about his participation in the next World Cup – jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada – when he will be 39 years old.

“I was able to fulfill all my dreams and achieved many more than I dreamed of as a kid. I was able to achieve the biggest dream of a player, which is a World Cup. I won many titles in the club of my life, which is Barcelona. I also won in Paris and now with Inter. I'm fighting to continue to achieve many more things,” an introspective Messi said.

“I don't get ahead of myself. I try to enjoy day by day. When the time comes, we'll see. I don't like to accelerate time or look ahead. I try to enjoy every day. I hope I can keep playing at this level to feel good and be happy. When I get to do what I love, I am happy. I value that more than reaching the 2026 tournament. I haven't set a goal to reach the World Cup, but more so to live day-to-day and be well.”

Messi acknowledged a difficult summer, where he was sidelined from a right ankle ligament injury he sustained during the Copa America final. Messi watched from the bench as Argentina was able to win its second straight Copa America title in Miami on July 14.

Messi had his strongest performance of the year Tuesday when he scored a hat trick with two assists in a 6-0 win for Argentina against Bolivia.

Since Messi’s return to action on Sept. 14, he’s played in seven matches and scored eight goals. He helped Inter Miami win the MLS Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best record and can help the club set the MLS points record on Saturday in the regular-season finale against the New England Revolution.

“The truth is that it was a long year where I had to go through important injuries, I have lost many games where I was out for almost [two] months, which was very difficult. The truth is that it is very hard for me and even harder now to train alone or not being able to do anything,” Messi said.

“That's why today I can come back for the final stretch. I feel good, I feel strong, I feel good physically and to be able to arrive, to finish in this way.”

Messi cherished his last match in Argentina earlier this week, acknowledging he doesn’t have many more matches to play with the national team in his home country.

He also made a point to declare his move to Inter Miami, which occurred in July 2023, was not one where he intended to ride off into the sunset.

Messi still has plenty left in the tank. He just doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself in his final years.

“I have fought a lot and I have gone through a lot of bad times in Argentina, and today I enjoy it more than ever because when you get closer to the end, you get older, you get much more excited and you realize much more about many things,” Messi said of his career.

“I always try to be at my best, and the step I wanted to take here did not mean a retirement – far from it,” Messi added. “We came to continue making this club great …  to help with the growth [and] winning titles.”