The last dance: Messi and Ronaldo get ready for sixth and final Fifa World Cup
Two best players of their generation prepare to make history this summer, 20 years after their first appearances at football’s biggest tournament
Lionel Messi’s career seemed complete after he led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup, but the motivation to keep playing is still there for him and his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the duo prepare to make history at this year’s tournament in North America.
This will be the last dance for Messi and Ronaldo, who will become the first players to appear in six different World Cups, 20 years on from their fresh-faced debuts at the finals.
They have since become icons far beyond the football pitch, two of the most recognisable people on the planet as they head into middle age and contemplate retirement.
Messi appeared to suggest that there would not be much point in carrying on after he skippered Argentina to victory in Qatar.
“Obviously I wanted to finish my career with this. I can’t ask for any more,” he said after dragging Lionel Scaloni’s side to victory over France on penalties in that World Cup final in Doha.
“My career is coming to an end because these are my final years. What more could there be after this?”