Some say that Lionel Messi's spot among the best footballers in history is safe, while others say that he will only be considered as one of the best if he can lead Argentina to a World Cup title. Today, Argentina's No. 10 spoke about the team's chances of success in Russia, while admitting that this could be his last chance to win the coveted World Cup title.
Speaking to Fox Sports prior to Tuesday's clash against Spain, the Argentine ace aimed a dig at his haters -most of them living in his home country-, stating that winning the World Cup will only be useful to satisfy their pride rather than using it to keep their haters silent.
"Winning the World Cup is something we owe to ourselves, we don't owe anything to the people that criticize us. We've always given our best. We got to three final matches (World Cup and two Copa Américas) and we couldn't win because it wasn't in God's plan," Messi stated.
In fact, the Argentine ace referred to summer's competition as the last chance they will get to win the coveted title.
"We take it as the last chance to win it, it's now or never. We have to believe that it will be our last and try to make the most of it. After this summer's tournament, a talented generation will step aside, lots of players will not return to the National Team," Messi added.
Regardless of what he wants, Messi feels that Argentina shouldn't be considered as the main candidate to win the title, and he named some National Team that have a better chance to win it.
"People always say Argentina is a candidate, because of our pedigree and our badge, but honestly, due to a number of reasons, we shouldn't be considered as a top contender. Spain, Brazil, Germany and France get to the tournament in better shape than us. We have a solid team, but we need to work as a team," Messi concluded.
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