Messi has been playing professionally since 2004. He made his La Liga debut with Barcelona in October of that year at only 17 years old, becoming, at the time, the youngest player to play for the Spanish club.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The eight-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner told NBC News that he will evaluate how his body feels before deciding whether to participate in the tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup, and I would love to,\u201d said Messi, who will turn 39 next June. \u201cI would like to be there, to be well and be an important part of helping my national team, if I am there. And I\u2019m going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter (Miami) and see if I can really be 100%, if I can be useful to the group, to the national team, and then make a decision.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Obviously, I\u2019m really eager because it\u2019s a World Cup. We\u2019re coming off winning the last World Cup, and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it\u2019s always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions,\" he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In 2021, Messi left Barcelona and moved to the French club Paris Saint-Germain. After two years with PSG, Messi signed with the American league Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Obviously, I\u2019m really eager because it\u2019s a World Cup. We\u2019re coming off winning the last World Cup, and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it\u2019s always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions,\" he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was the dream of my life. It was also true that it was the only thing missing at a professional level because I had been lucky enough to have achieved everything at an individual level, at a team level with Barcelona, and I think that\u2019s every player\u2019s dream. When you ask a player what their dream is, it\u2019s to be world champion,\" Messi said of the 2022 World Cup win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n