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The future of Lionel Messi with the Argentine national team remains an unknown. Leandro Paredes revealed that the captain had decided that the 2026 World Cup final would be his last match, although he is still hopeful he might change his mind.
These were Leandro Paredes' statements regarding Lionel Messi's future and what he also said about his own continuity with the Albiceleste.
¿La final del Mundial 2026 fue el último partido de Messi? Esto dijo Leandro Paredes
After Boca Juniors defeated O'Higgins 1-0 in the first match of the playoffs for a spot in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16, reporters asked Leandro Paredes about Lionel Messi's future with the Argentine national team. The midfielder revealed that the captain had already made a decision regarding his continuity.
"It hurts because I think we said it throughout the entire World Cup, too, that we didn't want Messi's last match to come. We don't want it to come. I think he had made the decision that it would be his last match with the national team," Paredes asserted.
Leandro Paredes espera que Lionel Messi continúe en la Selección argentina
However, the Albiceleste midfielder does not lose hope that Messi will change his mind and decide to continue wearing the Argentina jersey. Although he clarified that, in the end, it will be a personal decision and that the group will respect whatever the captain chooses.
"I hope not, I hope he can keep playing. It will be his decision; whatever makes him happy will surely make us happy too. So, hopefully, hopefully," he expressed.
¿Leandro Paredes también dejará la Selección argentina?
The Albiceleste could not only lose Lionel Messi, but also Leandro Paredes. The midfielder acknowledged that it is still not clear if he will continue representing the Argentine national team after falling 1-0 to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
"I don't know, I don't know," he confessed when reporters asked him about his continuity with the Argentine national team.
Paredes admitted that the defeat to La Roja "is going to hurt for a long time." However, he highlighted that this squad achieved historic milestones and recognized that it will be difficult to maintain the level reached over the last few years.
"It is going to be a long process to overcome what we experienced. We achieved important things, but losing the World Cup final is going to hurt for a long time, because we were very close again... We achieved important things. It will be very difficult to maintain this level, for the group to keep functioning in this way. You have to weigh a lot of things and talk with the coach, make decisions calmly."
El mensaje de Lionel Messi tras perder la final del Mundial 2026
After the final, Lionel Messi published an emotional message on his social media to thank the Argentine fans for their support and express the pain left by losing the title to Spain.
"The pain is very great and this wound will take a long time to heal. But I also hold onto all the good... Today it is hard to value what we did, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals... Once again we managed to unite as a country and be all together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine."
For the moment, Messi has not officially confirmed his departure from the Argentine national team.
[Publicidad]