Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister has disclosed that he and his Argentine teammates are urging Lionel Messi to participate in another World Cup for Argentina.
Messi had previously announced his retirement from international play following his triumph in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Looking ahead to the upcoming tournament set to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, Mac Allister revealed their desire for Messi to remain on the team.
He stated; “We don’t want him to leave the national team. He said he was going to be his last World Cup but we don’t want that. We want him to stay with us. He knows it. So let’s see what happens. He sent a message to us yesterday, wishing us a very good year. He was very grateful to us. After the game we couldn’t speak too much because we wanted to celebrate. I think we still don’t realise what we achieved, but in the next five or 10 years we will.”
When asked about the experience of playing alongside Messi, who completed his medal collection in Qatar, Mac Allister commented; “He deserves it. It was the only trophy he was missing and now he has it. I’m really glad to be part of this, to help him and the team to get that trophy. I’m really happy for him, [Angel] Di Maria as well, because they are two players who fought a lot in the last couple of years to get that trophy and to play for our country.”
