Is Lionel Messi going to retire after the World Cup?

The greatest player of all time has nothing left to prove after winning it all and will be 42 by the time the competition next rolls around

When you're 39 years old and the end of your playing days are in sight, there is always a chance you wake up and realise the spark has gone out.

That is a question Lionel Messi will need to consider over this final week of the World Cup - whether Argentina successfully defend their title or not.

Whether it's going out on a high or feeling he simply has nothing left to prove, the question is: will Messi decide to retire after the World Cup?

The decision may not come down to purely footballing considerations, however.

Messi is the third highest-paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes, and while only some of that comes from his actual playing contract at Inter Miami, he is clearly worth a lot more while he is still active than he will be after he retires.

There's a potential bit of future-proofing at play, too. Messi's previous contract with Inter Miami was set to expire at the end of 2025, but he signed a new three-year deal to extend his stay instead.

That new contract will not run out until he is 41 years old, and in the absence of any other evidence in either direction, is the strongest suggestion that he sees himself playing beyond the World Cup.

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However, that situation could be complicated since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.