Argentina's national team coach, Lionel Messi, has included himself in the list of 55 players for the nation's preliminary World Cup roster, despite facing questions on his future involvement. Messi has consistently stated his stance on his World Cup appearance.
Lionel Messi has been included in Argentina ’s long list of 55 players for the nation’s preliminary World Cup roster, released Monday. While this is no guarantee that the global superstar will be at the tournament this summer, it does back up the stance he has consistently taken when questioned on his future involvement.
At the time of the preliminary roster’s announcement, Messi was undoubtedly living up to his own criteria—and it is strictly, teeing up two goals before adding one of his own. Messi is averaging one goal involvement every 83 minutes in MLS this year.
While he continues to perform at such high standards in the exact climate conditions which may hamstring many younger professionals heading across to the U.S., Mexico and Canada for this summer’s tournament, there’s little reason to fret over Messi’s World Cup appearance. However, Argentina’s captain is wary that his mere presence will not guarantee a second successive global title. Lionel Messi Names Six World Cup Favorites France and Brazil are among Messi’s World Cup favorites.
| Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe/Getty Images “We have to get excited, like Argentinians always do whenever there’s an official competition, whether it’s the Copa América or the World Cup,” Messi explained during a recent appearance on the YouTube show, “but we also have to know that there are other favorites ahead of us, who are coming in better as a group and as a team. ” When pushed on exactly who those “favorites” were, Messi leapt straight for the team Argentina beat in the 2022 World Cup final.
“Right now, France looks very good again. They have many top-level players,” he fairly reasoned. Didier Deschamps’s side boast the widest range of attacking talent available to any nation on the planet and have proven to be grizzled, wily tournament veterans, unafraid to eschew style points for success. In terms of alternative challengers, Messi valued upon historic success as much as a team’s modern standing.
“I think Spain, Brazil—although they haven’t been at their best lately—are always contenders and have the players to compete in all official competitions,” he argued, referring to the defending European champions and a Brazil side coming off its worst-ever record in “Then we all say the same things,” Messi continued. “Germany, England, the big powers… Portugal has a very competitive and good team too. And then there’s always some surprise...
”Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.
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