Quote from: Lucasgabd on Today at 09:10:45 PM

Quote from: Silberman on Today at 06:00:02 PM

Quote from: Sithara007 on Today at 03:38:17 PM

Quote from: Leviathan.007 on Today at 11:15:38 AM

Again we are talking about Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, I'm sure these two players were perfect players for ways in any team they were playing but both players are getting old and specialty Ronaldo can't have a good performance anymore like he was playing in Real Madrid and after three years I'm sure both players will have even worst performance. We had even more famous players they got retired and other younger players could replace them there is no need to worry about these two players in the 2026 world cup.

We are talking about an event that is scheduled to take place after 3 years from now. In case of Ronaldo, I am 99% sure that he will not be participating. For all practical purposes, he has moved to Saudi Arabia and Euro 2024 (in case Portugal manages to qualify) maybe his last major tournament for Portugal. In case of Messi, I am a bit more optimistic. As the captain of the winning side in 2022, it is his responsibility to defend the trophy in 2026. So the chances are higher that Messi will participate in FIFA World Cup 2026.

I think the same, even if Messi had a drop on his performance due to his age or an injury, if I was the coach of the Argentinian national team and I was given the choice between bringing a player which may not even play or Messi, I will pick Messi, as not only he could always change a game with a single play of his, but when we add the leadership he has, he could easily help his teammates and give them some advice even if he was not on the field.

I agree with you, Silberman. Ronaldo and Messi may have been perfect players and they did shine as stars, but as they age, their performance may decline.

Messi chances of participating are probably higher since he was the captain of the winning side in 2022.

which other players you think have big chances of participating?

I think in the case of Messi it also come down to what the people in Argentina want. Soccer is like a religion there and if you are the coach who has to decide whether to take Messi with you or not, I think it needs quit some guts to decide against it if generally Messi agrees to go for it one more time. It's a different case if Messi either retreats or if he is so bad that you couldn't justify at all to take him to the World Cup. But what are the chances that he really is so bad? Even if you put him on the bench, I think it can't be wrong to bring him on for half an hour, depending on what the situation in the game is. But if you are one goal behind and you can bring him on and you get a free kick, you are going to be happy you have him on board.