World Cup 2026 (Commentary)

🎙️ Zlatan Ibrahimović on whether Lionel Messi should continue playing after the World Cup: “If I were Messi, I would retire from international football after yesterday’s defeat. I think he has done enough.” “He has nothing left to prove to football. He has won everything there is to win, broken countless records and completed the game in every possible way. What I see now is a very average team relying on one extraordinary player. Messi does everything. He creates, he scores, he inspires, he carries them. Take away Messi’s goals and assists, and the rest of the squad barely contributes anything in attack. That tells you everything. So many times they struggled as a team. They conceded goals, looked out of the game, and then Messi produced another moment of magic to bring them back. Without him, they wouldn’t have gone as far as they did. He gave everything he had for Argentina. Now it’s time to leave the responsibility to the younger generation and let the world see whether they can survive without Lionel Messi carrying them. For me, there is nothing left for Messi to achieve. He should leave the international stage with his head held high because his legacy is already untouchable. Messi lost the World Cup final, not his legacy.”