We are pushing Messi to play another World Cup for Argentina – Alexis Mac Allister
Lionel Messi may be pressured to play in the next World Cup for Argentina, his teammate and Brighton star, Alexis Mac Allister, has revealed.
Messi had shelved his international retirement plan after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Ahead of the next tournament scheduled to hold in the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026, Mac Allister said that they want Messi to stay.
He said, “We don’t want him to leave the national team. He said it 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.”
On what it feels like playing alongside Messi who completed his medal collection in Qatar, Mac Allister said, “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.”