Lionel Messi will turn 39 during the upcoming World Cup and could have been forgiven for quitting international football after leading Argentina to glory in Qatar in 2022, but he remains his country's talisman as they aim to retain the trophy in North America.
The Barcelona legend somehow found another level three and a half years ago as he scored seven goals and set up three more in seven games, including a brace in the epic final in Doha against France -- when he also converted his penalty in the shoot-out which gave Argentina the trophy.
"Obviously I wanted to finish my career with this. I can't ask for any more," Messi said after that triumph, which seemed to mark the completion of his glorious career.
But he did admit he would like to play on a little longer as a world champion, and in the end he kept going all the way to this year's tournament.
It will be a record sixth World Cup for Messi, and the decision to delay his retirement will have been a relief for coach Lionel Scaloni.
There is no need, yet, to try to somehow find a replacement for arguably the greatest player of all time.
"There can't be. There won't be. There won't be an heir to Messi, for sure," Scaloni said in an interview with Flashscore in September.
Messi is obviously not the player he once was, having left Europe in 2023 following an underwhelming two-season spell at Paris Saint-Germain.
He is no longer playing at the very highest level on a weekly basis -- indeed, Messi has not played in a UEFA Champions League knockout tie victory since 2020.
However, he is in fine form in Major League Soccer for Inter Miami, for whom he has 13 goals in 16 games in 2026 after helping them win the MLS Cup last year.
Assuming he overcomes a slight hamstring injury which recently forced him off against Philadelphia Union, Messi will lead Argentina into their opening game at the tournament when they play Algeria in Kansas City on June 16.
- Approaching 200 caps -
Messi has already won more silverware with Argentina since the last World Cup, captaining the team to victory in the Copa America in the United States in 2024.
He was the top scorer in South American World Cup qualifying, too. "I love playing football, and I'm going to do it until I can't anymore," he recently declared.
Messi first played a World Cup game as a teenager in 2006 in Germany, before later skippering them to the final in Brazil in 2014, when they lost in extra time to the Germans.
Argentina's all-time top scorer is also their most-capped player and he is just two games away from reaching 200 appearances.
He may even get there before Argentina's opening World Cup fixture, as they first have friendlies against Honduras in Texas and Iceland in Alabama.
The Albiceleste then kick-off their World Cup against Algeria, before also taking on Austria and Jordan in Arlington, Texas in Group J -- the latter game takes place three days after his 39th birthday.
"We're all fully aware that this could well be Leo's last World Cup, given his age, but it's his decision at the end of the day," teammate Julian Alvarez said in an interview with FIFA.com.
"It'll certainly make for a special World Cup and I don't just mean for us, his team-mates and the Argentinian people, but for everyone who watches and follows him, given that he's the best player of all time.
"He's made a colossal impact the world over."
But the presence of Atletico Madrid forward Alvarez, 26, shows that Argentina need not be overly-reliant on their ageing great.
Alvarez himself is a world-class talent in a squad also featuring the likes of Serie A top scorer Lautaro Martinez, Nico Paz, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Cristian Romero and Emiliano Martinez.
The team's marquee win in qualifying, a 4-1 home victory against Brazil, came without Messi.
"As an Argentinian, the excitement is always there and we always want to be crowned champions. There's no reason for this time to be any different," added Alvarez.
