Will Copa America 2024 be Lionel Messi’s final tournament with Argentina? Lisandro Martinez delivers his verdict

Argentina are the defending champions of Copa America.

The defender of Manchester United, Lisandro Martínez, stated that Lionel Messi is still the finest player in the entire globe and that the Argentina national team does not view the 2024 Copa América as his final competition with La Albiceleste.

Messi, who will turn 39 in 2026, has stated that it will be tough for him to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but coach Lionel Scaloni has expressed optimism that the eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient can travel to the competition to be jointly held in the US, Canada and Mexico.

“He’s very calm, more than anything he’s enjoying the day to day. It’s beautiful to be here, we all have a great relationship,” Martínez said in a media availability on Thursday, during the Argentina team’s preparations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“When one is here, one is very happy. We feel at home, which is important. We don’t see it [as his last tournament with Argentina.] We see him happy, and with an impressive level. That’s what I can tell you.”

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“We Argentines are too melancholic,” he told Telemundo. “We are already thinking about the day when [Messi] is not here while he’s still playing.

“Let’s enjoy him and we’ll see what happens next. I think what he’s doing right now is so important. And for everyone, not only for Argentina, because at the end Leo plays for those who like football. But someday [his retirement] will happen.”

Messi led his country to victory in both the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2021 Copa América and he has been a key player in the recent achievements of the Argentine national team. The attacker became the nation’s all-time top scorer with 106 goals in 180 international appearances after making his debut in 2005.

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