World Cup 2022: Messi Confirms Qatar Final Will Be His Last World Cup

• Argentina captain Lionel Messi has delivered rather sad but expected news for football lovers
• The 35-year-old mercurial forward has been unquestionably the best player at the World Cup
• He would hope to crown his career with a World Cup title when Argentina plays in the finals

Lionel Messi has confirmed he will make his final bow at the World Cup when Argentina takes on either France or Morocco on Sunday, December 18.

Messi inspired Argentina to the finals of the 2022 Mundial, providing a sublime assist while scoring a thumping goal from the penalty spot as Argentina trounced Croatia in the semifinals.

After suffering heartache in the 2014 finals against Germany, the 35-year-old will want to bow out of the global showpiece in grand style, when he tries to bring Argentina its first World Cup title since 1986, ESPN notes.

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The Paris Saint-Germain superstar, who is playing at his fifth World Cup, stressed the finals on Sunday will be his last.

“I feel very happy, to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final,” Messi told Argentinian sports outlet Diario Deportivo Ole via Al Jazeera.

The Argentina captain added: “It’s many years for the next one and I don’t think I’ll be able to do it. And to finish like this, it’s the best.”

Messi, who is bent on replicating Maradona's 1986 feat, promised to leave no stone unturned in what promises to be a spectacle against either Morocco or France.

“We’re just one step away, after fighting hard, and we’re going to give everything to try to make it happen this time.”

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Messi, Alvarez seal Mundial final

An inspired Lionel Messi scored from the penalty spot and Julian Alvarez struck twice as Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday to reach their second World Cup final in eight years.

The two-times world champions, backed by a huge majority of the crowd at the Lusail Stadium, produced their best display of the tournament to ensure they will meet the winner of Wednesday's semi-final clash between holders France and Morocco in Sunday's final.

Messi, 35, who suffered a defeat to Germany in the 2014 final, is desperate to crown his extraordinary career by winning his first World Cup and bringing Argentina a third title to add to those won in 1978 and 1986.

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Messi's Argentina dumped out Modric's Croatia on December 13th to qualify for their second final in 8 years.

Messi, in his usual superior form, opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Julian Alvarez had been hacked down in the penalty area.