Messi’s Heart vs. Time: The World Awaits His Decision

• By Thetripurapost Sports Desk, Buenos
• Sep 05, 2025
• 547

The stadium in Buenos Aires roared like never before on September 4. Lionel Messi, at 38, scored twice in what might have been his last World Cup qualifier on Argentine soil. Yet when the final whistle blew, the moment was bittersweet.

Messi stood there, smiling, waving to the fans who have adored him for nearly two decades. But behind the joy was the quiet weight of uncertainty.

“Because of my age, the most logical thing is that I won’t make it,” he admitted about the 2026 World Cup. “But we’re almost there, so I’m excited and motivated. I’ll go day by day, match by match.”

For Messi, it is no longer about trophies or records—he has them all. It is about honesty with himself, about listening to a body that has given everything but also demands rest. Injuries have shadowed his time in Miami. Some nights he dazzles with the magic only he can conjure; other nights, pain forces him to the sidelines.

“When I feel good, I enjoy it. But when I don’t, honestly, I don’t have a good time. And I prefer not to be there if I don’t feel good,” Messi said, his voice carrying both strength and vulnerability.

The possibility of one last dance—the chance to see him walk onto the grandest stage again—remains alive. If he plays, the world could witness an unprecedented sight: Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, eternal rivals, sharing a sixth World Cup.

But for Messi, it is not about rivalry, or even legacy. It is about love—the love of the game, the love of his people, the love of those moments when the ball is at his feet and the world holds its breath.

Perhaps 2026 will be the last chapter. Perhaps it won’t. The only certainty is that, like Messi himself, we too will wait—day by day, match by match—hoping for just one more chance to watch the little boy from Rosario light up the world again.