iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
Qalandars had also defeated Sultans in last year's final
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Lionel Messi open to playing in 2026 World Cup
After scoring seven goals in the 2022 World Cup, he could become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer if he suits up in 2026
Photo: AFP
After hoisting his first World Cup trophy with Argentina in December, Lionel Messi said that tournament would be his last, but now it appears he's open to the possibility of playing in the 2026 event.
"Because of age it'll be difficult to make 2026," Messi, 35, told Diario Ole, a sports newspaper in Argentina. "I love playing football and while I feel like I'm in good shape and enjoying this, I'm going to keep at it. It seems like a long time until the next World Cup, but it depends on how my career is going."
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni would love to see the superstar -- who is one of only six players to compete in five World Cups -- suit up for the next World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"I think Messi can make it to the next World Cup," Scaloni told Spanish radio Calvia FM last month. "It will depend a lot on what he wants and what happens over time, that he feels good. The doors will always be open. He is happy on the pitch, and for us (it) would be good."
After scoring seven goals in the 2022 World Cup, Messi could become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer if he suits up in 2026. He has 13 goals, three behind record-holder Miroslav Klose of Germany.
ALSO READ:
More news from Sports
Fresh from his five-goal salvo against RB Leipzig in midweek, the Norwegian forward proved insatiable again to demolish the Championship leaders at The Etihad Stadium
Leeds boosted its survival hopes with a 4-2 win at Wolves
He is evidently still finding his feet in ODIs and has gone without a fifty in all five ODIs this year
Barca has been charged with corruption by Spanish prosecutors for payments between 2001 and 2018 to the company of former refereeing chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, totalling around $7.8 million
The U.S. currently bars unvaccinated foreigners from entry into the country, a policy that is expected to be lifted when the government ends its Covid-19 emergency declarations on May 11
With the video assistant referee system (VAR) not operated in second-tier games, Mohamed Farouk had to use the phone of a crowd member during the match between Suez and Al Nasr
The WTA and ATP tours have barred players from Russia and its ally Belarus from competing under their national flags, but insist that individual athletes have a right to compete