Should Lionel Messi ‘risk winning end to World Cup legacy’? Argentine facing important question ahead of 2026 finals, with Cristiano Ronaldo also set to play

The Argentine icon completed his record-breaking medal collection in 2022 when inspiring his country to global glory in Qatar. He landed an eighth Ballon d’Or on the back of that triumph and is now playing his club football in MLS for Inter Miami.

Messi will turn 38 in June, which is still 12 months out from the next World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. For now, there is no indication that a man with 191 caps to his name is considering international retirement.

He is expected to grace another major tournament, alongside Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo, but knows that he still has the opportunity to bow out on the highest of highs without impacting his standing among the all-time greats.

Petit, a world champion with France in 1998, has told BesteOnlineCasinoNederland: “Should Lionel Messi risk the winning end to his World Cup legacy? I remember Lilian Thuram and Zinedine Zidane coming out of retirement to help the France national team and we all know what happened in the 2006 World Cup.

“If you show humility it can work, Messi has won everything while Cristiano Ronaldo is still desperate to win the World Cup and to have one more chance, but both will be hard to manage in different ways.

“Messi brings pure joy to his team-mates and would be hard to leave out. Ronaldo also brings motivation, but he won’t be able to play every minute.

“When it comes to the World Cup, I hope to see both Messi and Ronaldo playing there if they are fit. I want to see Messi playing for Argentina and Ronaldo for Portugal and it wouldn’t surprise me.”

Ronaldo will be 41 by the time the next World Cup rolls around, but he has been showing no sign of slowing down at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and remains determined to reach 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots.