'When It's Time To Take That Step, I Will...': Lionel Messi Sheds Light On Retirement Plans

On December 18, 2022, it seemed like the footballing Gods had scripted the perfect outcome of the World Cup in Qatar. The final, which took place between defending champions France and 2014 runners-up Argentina, would go down as perhaps the greatest football game of all time so far, given the magnitude of the game, what was at stake, and how the action unfolded on the field. At the end of it all, Lionel Messi would go on to finally lift the illustrious World Cup trophy and end a 36-year barren run for the Albicelestes at the greatest stage of the sport.

Lionel Messi, 35 at the time, won the one trophy he was so desperate to win all his life, in what was possibly his final chance of achieving it. Now, a little under three months away from turning 37, the footballing genius has shed light on his future in football and explained when he would decide to retire from all football.

Speaking on the Big Time Podcast, Lionel Messi revealed that age would not be a factor when it comes to retirement. He added that he would walk away when he feels he is no longer able to sustain the unprecedented standards he has set not just for himself, but for every talented footballer breaking through.

“I am very self-critical of myself, I know when I am good, when I am bad, when I play well and when I play badly. When I feel it’s time to take that step, I will take it without thinking about age,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner stated.

Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball for his scintillating performances at the 2022 World Cup, becoming the first player to win the award twice after he did so in 2014.

He was involved in a shock departure from Barcelona in 2021, where he spent 21 years after joining as a 13-year-old. Paris Saint-Germain acquired Leo Messi on a free transfer and he spent two largely unsuccessful seasons at the Parc des Princes.

Rumours of a return to the Camp Nou intensified in the summer of 2023, only for the Argentine to exit Europe and join David Beckham’s Inter Miami. He helped the club win its first-ever piece of silverware after Inter won the Leagues Cup in 2023.