The players on the Argentina national team have one goal once the 2022 FIFA World Cup gets rolling: Win the trophy for Lionel Messi. The tournament in Qatar will mark the final one for the Paris Saint-Germain star.
As a result, many on the team, such as Lautaro Martinez, want to give Messi the storybook ending of lifting the World Cup to cap off his international career with the South American nation.
“I’ll choose Messi because I’ve wanted to play with him since first seeing him on TV,” Martinez told Inter Media House (h/t Sempre Inter) when asked about who is his favorite player. “I made a dream come true when I started playing with Leo.”
Messi heads into the tournament in good form. After struggling in his first season with the French giants, the 35-year-old has bounced back with 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 total appearances this campaign.
The veteran forward will be the straw that stirs the Argentina attack, having scored a goal and recorded an assist in the final friendly matchup against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
However, now the games are for real as Messi and the squad kicks off their World Cup in Group C against Saudi Arabia, an opponent they should get all three points.
