Lionel Scaloni, Argentina’s head coach, spoke following his side’s resounding 5–0 victory over Zambia in a friendly match as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Lionel Messi scored a goal during the match, taking his career tally to 902 goals.
Scaloni said in comments published by the Argentine network TYC Sports: “It would be an honour to work with him (Lionel Messi) if he decides this will be his last World Cup.”
The Argentine manager added: “With Messi, you can never predict what will happen; everyone is eager to see him and enjoy his performance, and I will do my utmost to ensure the team supports him.”
He continued: “When the time comes, if he decides to be with us at the World Cup, we’ll sit down and talk, because he wants what we want. If he comes to the World Cup, he’ll certainly want to play. Let’s hope we get to enjoy him if he decides to do so, and we’ll see what happens.”
Scaloni went on to discuss the possibility of Messi reaching the 1,000-goal mark in his career, saying: “I think he will achieve this milestone. If he keeps playing, I don’t think he’ll have any trouble.”
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The Argentine manager concluded his remarks by saying: “I hope he continues to play because he is happy on the pitch, and we all want to see him… How many goals has he scored? More than 90 goals in a single year in 2012, and he can achieve that again.”