The legendary No.10 is heading into the final stages of his international career but his compatriots are praying he's got one more cycle in him
Lionel Scaloni and Argentina are currently facing the near-impossible task that every other World Cup winner before them faced: figuring out how to get going for Round 2. It's a task that most others before them have failed.
It's a difficult balance for any coach to figure out as the four years after a World Cup are all about finding out which new faces can step in and which old faces have something left in the tank that's worth holding onto.
Didier Deschamps and France managed about as well as you can, reaching the final four years after winning the tournament, but that's the exception rather than the rule. More often than not, that second go around proves to be a disaster as coaches often struggle to know when to cut ties with a legendary generation.
That task will be made even more tougher by Scaloni's Argentina, though, as all involved mull over the future of perhaps the greatest of all time.
On Thursday night, Argentina will begin their qualifiers for the 2026 tournament. However, as things stand, it's unclear whether the great Lionel Messi will be a part of that tournament.
He's here for this camp, for games against Ecuador and Bolivia, and it seems he's committed to playing with Argentina for the foreseeable future. The Copa America is looming, after all, and Messi seems determined to defend that title.
Messi certainly has the ability and the motivation but, at some point, one of those two things will begin to fade. And that brings us to the big question: how much longer can Argentina rely on their legendary star to, well, continue to be legendary?
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A legendary performance
We all saw it, so we don't need to get too deep into it. What Messi pulled off in Qatar will go down in history and, depending on who you ask, solidified his place as the greatest to ever play the game.
After years and years of disappointments, Messi dragged Argentina to his much-coveted World Cup trophy, doing so in heroic fashion. He won the tournament's Golden Ball award, becoming the first-ever player to score in each and every knockout game. He scored twice in that famous final against France before scoring in the penalty shootout, helping his country end a 36-year wait for a World Cup trophy.
In the months since, he's continued to represent Argentina as part of the country's post-tournament celebrations. He made his long-awaited return to Argentina as a world champion in March, reaching the 100-goal mark as part of two friendlies designed to commemorate Argentina's heroics.
With those games complete, the focus then turned towards the 2026 World Cup and, as that cycle begins, Messi's quality hasn't dropped off in the slightest bit.
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Strong form in a new league
The world was watching on as Messi made his much-discussed move to Inter Miami, and the world has continued to watch as he's turned MLS into his own personal playground.
Through 11 games in all competitions, Messi already has 11 goals and one trophy to his name, the first in the club's short history. He also has the Herons in line for another trophy, having booked a spot in the U.S. Open Cup final, and has made the rest of the league believe just a little bit that the Argentine can lead the previously last-place Inter Miami to a miracle run to the playoffs.
Now, that comes with obvious caveats. MLS is not comparable to Ligue 1 or La Liga. The Leagues Cup is no Champions League. The quality of defending is not the same as it is in Europe, to say the least.
However, this is a player less than a year removed from one of the most dominant World Cup displays of all time. He's still one of the best players in the world, even if he may not be the best any longer and, on current form, there's no doubt that he remains Argentina's most important player.
The question, though, is how long that will be true.
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Ready to step aside…
Messi has already stepped away from Argentina once. After defeat in the Copa America Centenario, Messi announced he would step away. The whole of Argentina will be thankful that that declaration was one of emotion and not anything permanent, as Messi would inevitably return to lead Argentina to glory.
Still, the inevitable end is coming, and Messi himself even knows it.
“Because of age it'll be difficult to make 2026," Messi told back in July. "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.”
That same month, he confirmed to that he has begun to mull over his international retirement.
“Honestly, I don’t know until when," he said. "I think it will happen when it has to happen. After having achieved everything recently, the only thing left to do is to enjoy. God will say when that moment will come.
“Logically, because of my age, I’m sure it will be soon. But I don’t know exactly when will be the right time. I think about the day-to-day, enjoying everything beautiful. We had to go through very hard times in the national team. We were fortunate enough to be World Cup and Copa America champions. It’s time to enjoy."
It seems, though, that Messi isn't expecting to be involved when Argentina defend their World Cup in 2026. He appears ready to help lead Argentina's defense of the country's Copa America next summer, but that very well could be his last major go-around on the international level.
"I think not," he told . "[Qatar] was my last World Cup. I'll see how things go, but as it is right now, no, I won't go to the next World Cup."
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Or maybe not?
Messi, obviously, will have final say on when and where he calls time on his career, but those in charge in Argentina can't imagine life without him just yet.
Argentina FA president Claudio Tapia says he hopes that Messi can provide one last surprise, saying that he hopes the legendary attacker can be convinced to stay for one more complete cycle.
Speaking at the Sports Summit Leaders, Tapia said: "He always goes for more. He never leaves you. He always surprises you, he goes for more. You can imagine it. How can I not imagine it? I would like him to be there. With the conditions he has, he could easily play in the 2026 World Cup.
"[Luka] Modric does it for his team, [Andres] Iniesta did it for Barcelona. It depends on him, on what he feels. I see him playing in the World Cup, playing in the position he wants. He can really do it. It will depend on what he wants. I dream about that."
Adding to that possibility is the location of the next World Cup: the United States. By choosing to come to MLS, Messi, willingly or unwillingly, has established himself as the new face of American soccer. Over the next few years, he'll continue to represent the sport in the U.S. as MLS hopes that he takes the league to an entirely new stratosphere.
Messi's Inter Miami deal runs through 2025, meaning he may very well leave MLS before the next World Cup goes around. However, if his time in MLS continues as it has started, and if he can continue to play at the level that he's established for himself so far, he may be convinced to help his country one last time in pursuit of a historic opportunity to go back to back.