Lionel Messi picks out the four World Cup favourites

Share

Tweet

Share

Share

Email

Comments

Lionel Messi has admitted this summer represents his generation’s last chance of winning the World Cup for Argentina, and that more heartbreak would be unbearable.

The Barcelona talisman turns 31 this June and this competition is seen as his best and arguably last chance of finally lifting the sought-after World Cup.

014 when they narrowly lost out to Germany 1-0 in extra time, and 2016’s Copa America final defeat to Chile marked Messi’s third consecutive defeat in a major tournament final with Argentina, as well as his fourth overall.

Though widely regarded as one of the greatest to have ever graced the football pitch, some deem him inferior to fellow greats such as Pele and Diego Maradona due to a lack of a World Cup title.

“It was tough because we weren’t able to lift it [the World Cup trophy],” Messi said in an interview with Fox Sports Argentina, as reported by ESPN. “Passing next to the World Cup trophy was horrible.

“We want to get rid of the bad taste and win the World Cup. To be so close and not being able to lift the trophy on previous occasions was a disappointment for all of us.

“We have a debt with ourselves [the players]. We don’t owe the fans anything because we always give our 100 percent. We’ve gotten to three finals. NaijaBet.com

“We feel that it’s now or never. Because this is it, we have to think that this could be the last for this group of players.”

Messi downplayed his side’s chances of progressing far this summer, instead naming who he thought had a better shot at winning the World Cup. NaijaBet.com

“Right now we’re not among the contenders to win the World Cup,” Messi continued. “There are much better teams like Spain, Germany, Brazil and France.”

Messi is likely to miss out through injury when Argentina face Spain in an international friendly tonight.