Argentine football prez: Lionel Messi alone will decide when to retire

Lionel Messi's retirement plans are solely his decision, according to Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentina Football Association. Tapia emphasized that the legendary player should be allowed to continue enjoying the sport without pressure.

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It’s a decision that is purely and personally his. You have to let him relax. In 2022, we didn’t know if he’d play in 2026. He said it was game by game, and I think we’ve seen a great version, if not the best, of Leo in a World Cup.

"It's a decision that is purely and personally his," Tapia said in an interview on Argentine TV. "You have to let him relax. In 2022, we didn’t know if he’d play in 2026. He said it was game by game, and I think we’ve seen a great version, if not the best, of Leo in a World Cup."

Tapia lauded Messi's performance in the recent World Cup, where the 39-year-old scored eight goals and provided four assists, leading Argentina to the final. He described Messi as the team's standard-bearer and believes he was the best player in the tournament, breaking records match after match.

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You have to let him keep enjoying playing football and after that he’ll make the decision he feels is the right one.

Messi, who turned 39 in June, has given no indication of when he might retire from international football or how much longer he intends to play for Inter Miami in the MLS. The 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, could see Messi playing at 43 years old, surpassing the age record for a non-goalkeeper set by Roger Milla at 42.

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It was a great World Cup from Leo. We enjoyed it a lot, and we’ve got to feel proud. I enjoyed every moment. Without a doubt, he was the standard-bearer of this group in the World Cup. If you analyze the World Cup he had, for me he was the ⁠best player. He was break records match after match.