Scaloni praises Messi's commitment on the eve of the 6th World Cup: "It's an example"

World champion in 2022 with Argentina, Lionel Messi is expected to break another World Cup record in this year's edition. The star will compete in his sixth World Cup, a milestone he will share with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa.

Coach who led Albiceleste to the title in Qatar, Lionel Scaloni gave an exclusive interview to Diário Olé and praised the number 10's commitment on the eve of another tournament with the national team.

"He'll play as long as he wants because we already know who he is and it's no surprise that he's playing in his sixth World Cup. How would that surprise us? What does surprise us is that he only won four titles with the national team. He was close to winning two more Copa Américas and a World Cup. Which was totally unfair. He should have won [those titles], so the line is very thin, but he demonstrated an incredible desire to be part of it", declared the coach.

"He's an example for young people who see him and say: 'Look, he's still trying, he wants to be present'. That's the best example we have. He hasn't changed much in profile, he's still the same, he's still competitive, he's going to play his sixth World Cup and he has the same desire", added Scaloni.

Messi will turn 39 during the World Cup, on June 24th, between matches against Austria (22nd) and Jordan (27th) in the group stage.

Argentina is looking for the fourth world title in its history, having lifted the cup in 1978, 1986 and 2022, the latter with Lionel Messi as team captain.

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Source: CNN