Lionel Messi has confirmed that the final match of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2023 will be the last time that he’ll play in the blue and white stripes. Messi said he is retiring after the summit clash on December 18. “I feel very happy to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final,” Messi told the Argentina media. “It’s many years for the next one and I don’t think I’ll be able to do it. And to finish like this, it’s the best,” added the Argentina captain, Reuters reported.
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The announcement comes after Messi led Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia in their semi-final on Tuesday. The 35-year-old is playing at his fifth World Cup, surpassing Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano, who played in four WCs. With his fifth goal in Qatar, he also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as the top Albiceleste scorer at World Cups, netting 11 times.
As the football fans across the world take this announcement in a bitter-sweet taste, here are five most amazing goals that put us in awe of the legend: