Lionel Messi Plans to Continue Playing for Argentina Beyond Copa America Final

Lionel Messi has expressed his intention to keep playing for the Argentine national team beyond the Copa America final. Despite being 37 years old, Messi's future plans remain open-ended. Meanwhile, teammate Ángel Di María plans to retire after the next game, having made significant contributions to Argentina's success.

Lionel Messi has announced that he plans to continue playing for Argentina beyond the upcoming Copa America final. The football legend affirmed his commitment after Argentina's 2-0 victory over Canada, saying, "I intend to keep living day by day without thinking too much about the future." The 37-year-old scored his 109th international goal during the match.

Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, has previously announced his retirement but reversed the decision, scoring 54 goals in 73 international appearances since. He has been instrumental in Argentina's 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup victories. In contrast, teammate Ángel Di María has confirmed his plans to retire after Sunday's game.

Di María, 36, made his international debut in 2008 and has scored 31 goals in 144 appearances. Despite his imminent retirement, Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni expressed hope that Di María might reconsider. Scaloni stated, "We don't want to start crying right now. We have to let him play and then see if we can convince him to stay." The South American World Cup qualifying will resume in September with 12 more matches scheduled.

(With inputs from agencies.)