Winner of his 8th Ballon d'Or on Monday evening, Lionel Messi did not hide his joy on the stage of the Châtelet theater. Asked about his two main competitors, Erling Haaland, 2nd and Kylian Mbappé, 3rd, the Argentinian had sympathetic words. “They are two extraordinary players. I shared two years in the same club as Kylian, I know his talent. We shared our training and matches, I know his immense talent. He is still very young, just like Erling. I know that in the future we will find them again. Haaland has had an extraordinary career, winning some very big titles and I have no doubt that they will be winners of this trophy soon. »
Relaunched on the possible end of his career, Lionel Messi, 36, handled the suspense. “I want to play for a very long time but I don't want to give a (retirement) date. I don't know what can happen tomorrow. I hope to enjoy it for a long time but everything can change from one day to the next. » As a reminder, the next World Cup will take place in 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The world champion will be... 39 years old.