Messi called winning the 2022 World Cup the culmination of his career

Messi on the peak of his career

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has said that winning the 2022 World Cup was the culmination of his professional career. “Winning the World Cup is the culmination of my career. It was something more than just a dream for me. The goals I scored against France in the final became the most important of my career because of what they meant. And because of the significance of the match, of course.”, The Touchline quotes the footballer as saying on the social network X (Daryo.uz). The Uzbek-language version of Daryo.uz also notes that Messi emphasized the special significance of the Qatar title in particular.

The 2022 World Cup final

In the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina beat France on penalties. Regular and extra time ended 3:3, and in the penalty shootout Messi's team won 4:2 (Daryo.uz).

End of his international career

According to Daryo.uz, at the recently held 2026 World Cup Argentina reached the final, where they lost to Spain. After that tournament, Lionel Messi announced his retirement from the national team.

Context

Messi's statement is notable because it came after the 2026 World Cup, where, according to Daryo.uz, Argentina again reached the final but lost to Spain — and it was after that tournament that the footballer announced his departure from the national team. Thus, the 2022 Qatar title remains, in the player's own assessment, the pinnacle of his international career. It should be noted that the cited sources do not provide details about the date or format of Messi's statement itself — it is only known that the footballer's words are quoted by The Touchline on the social network X.