Leandro Paredes revealed the decision Lionel Messi made regarding his future with the Argentina national team.
Leandro Paredes is already back in domestic action with Boca Juniors following Argentina’s World Cup run, and he didn’t shy away from addressing Lionel Messi‘s international future when given the chance.
Speaking in the mixed zone at La Bombonera after Boca’s 1-0 win over O’Higgins in the Copa Sudamericana, where Paredes provided the assist for Miguel Merentiel’s winning goal, the midfielder revealed new details about what Messi had planned heading into the World Cup final.
According to Paredes, Messi had already made up his mind that the final against Spain would be his last match with the national team, even if his Argentina teammates were hoping for a different outcome.
“It hurts, because we didn’t want that last match to arrive. He had made a decision, which was for that to be his last match with the Argentina national team. Hopefully not, hopefully he can keep playing,” Paredes said.
Lionel Messi and Leandro Paredes celebrate a goal for Argentina. (Getty Images)
The midfielder made clear that whatever Messi ultimately decides will have the group’s full support, framing it as a personal call rather than something teammates should try to influence. “It’s going to be his decision. Whatever makes him happy will surely make us happy too,” he added.
Paredes on his own future with the national team
Paredes isn’t just weighing in on Messi’s situation, he’s also facing questions about his own future with Argentina. At 32 years old, the Boca midfielder admitted he’s beginning to consider whether to continue at the international level following an emotional cycle with the national team.
“I think for many of us, it’s going to come down to thinking about whether to continue or not. It was a beautiful, spectacular process and we achieved important things. It’s going to be very difficult to maintain this level, for the group to keep functioning this way. You have to think it over, weigh a lot of things. Decisions like this have to be made calmly,” Paredes said.
Asked directly whether he had reached a conclusion, he stopped short of confirming anything just yet. “I don’t know. Honestly… I don’t know. It’s a process. You have to digest it, think it over. You shouldn’t make hasty decisions. But it’s definitely something that needs to be talked about,” he said.