'There's some anxiety and nerves at the same time'- Lionel Messi confirms the Qatar World Cup to be his last

Lionel Messi (Image source: Twitter)

Among many firsts that we are going to witness in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, from the mega event being hosted in the middle-east to being held during mid-season in winter, it is going to see the last of Lionel Messi, undoubtedly one of the best footballers to ever grace a football field, in World Cups.

Messi announced that the upcoming World Cup, which is set to commence in November, will be his last in the competition. The Argentine great said that his days in the event are numbered and that there is a bit of anxiety and nerves going into the tournament. The 35-year-old has appeared in 164 games, and this will be the fifth successive time he would feature in World Cups since 2006.

We are not the top favourites it seems to me: Messi

“But we are not the top favourites it seems to me (on winning the World Cup). There are other teams that are above us today, but we are very close,” Messi said in his interview with Star+. The PSG player feels the nerves going into the World Cup given the huge expectations.

“I am counting down the days to the World Cup. There is a bit of anxiety and nerves at the same time. Wanting it to be now and the nerves that we are already there, what is going to happen. It's the last one, how is it going to go. We do not see the time that comes and on the other, there is the s**t of wanting us to do well,” he added.

“We arrived at a good time, because of how everything happened. With a very armed group, very strong. Afterwards, in a World Cup, anything can happen. All the games are very difficult. That is why the World Cup is so difficult and special, the favourites are not always the ones who end up winning or doing the path that one expected,” concluded the Barcelona legend.

Lionel Messi and Argentina start their World Cup campaign against Saudi Arabia on 22^nd November.