Former Barcelona player Bernd Schuster believes Lionel Messi should retire from Argentina’s national team. Messi recently won the FIFA World Cup after leading the national team to glory. The talisman was in red-hot form in the quadrennial event as he scored seven goals and provided three assists in the tournament.

Messi also scored a brace in the final against France and he was awarded the Golden ball award for his consistent performances. In fact, Messi had earlier stated that he will call it a day after the World Cup but later wanted to play for the national team as a World Cup champion.

La Pulga had admitted that he doesn’t see himself playing in the 2026 World Cup for Argentina as he will be 39 in the next edition.

He said (via MARCA): “Messi can still play for a few years, but he should retire from the Argentine national team. He has to keep that final image with the World Cup with that shirt. I see it as difficult for him to be in the next World Cup, I don’t know.”

Schuster added that Argentina winning the World Cup in Qatar gave him a great joy.

“It gave me enormous joy. I lived in Diego’s World Cup in 1986. It was the same suffering. There are no more emotions than those. I was one more fan of Argentina.

Schuster went on to add that he wanted Messi to win the World Cup so that he could be regarded in the same category of the best players in the game.

“After what Messi did in Europe for 15 years, I wanted him to go up to the temple of football, and the only way he could achieve that was by winning the World Cup. The temple of football is where the Beckenbauers are, Zidane, Ronaldo, Maradona Pele, and there is no more.”

Messi has scored 98 goals in 172 matches for Argentina and he has been a consistent performer for La Albiceleste.