Lionel Messi redeemed himself and emerged as Argentina's hero when he lifted the FIFA World Cup in 2022, a win that solidified his position as one of the greatest footballers on this planet.
The 2022 World Cup win in Qatar, led my Messi brought back football's biggest price to Argentina after 36 years of wait. In 1986, in another such legendary campaign, footballing legend Diego Maradona had led the Albiceleste to victory.
However, Maradona's ex-trainer, Fernando Signorini feels that there is more that Leo Messi can do for the country: he must prioritise the 2026 FIFA World Cup by playing in a more competitive league
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi's transfer out of Europe to USA surprised a lot of fans and critics who believed that Messi had many more good years in him and it was too early for him to play in an "easy" league.
Messi, on the other hand, seems to be enjoying his time at Inter Miami, which he joined in July 2023. In a little more than two years, he has turned things around at the cup, leading Miami to its first Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup final.
Fernando Signorini has a different advice for the Argentine captain. He feels Inter Miami, which he said was a "parody of football", is not the right fit for the player if he wants to play the World Cup next year.
Diego Maradona's former trainer said in a radio interview, "Leo needs to prioritise the World Cup. He's caught up in this infernal record-breaking machine that I don't know the point of, because what he's doing now (Inter Miami) isn't football, it's a parody of football".
Fernando suggests that Messi should transfer on a short-term loan to a different, more competitive club. As things stand, Lionel Messi will not be playing as many competitive matches as compared to footballers playing in Europe.
As far as Messi's participation in the 2026 World Cup is concerned, the forward is yet to confirm his presence. He has reiterated that he will play only if he feels ready and can help the team.
"I don't want to be a burden, so to speak. I want to feel physically fit, to be sure I can help and contribute to the team. Our season is different from the European one. We'll have a pre-season in between, with few matches leading up to the World Cup, and we'll see how things go day by day to see if I really feel physically fit enough to be where I'd like to be and be able to participate", Leo Messi had shared in a recent interview.
The 2026 World Cup will begin on June 11, 2026 and will end on July 19, 2026. The tournament will be hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico and USA.
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