President of the Argentine Football Association speaks out on Messi's retirement timeline

Claudio Tapia, head of the Argentine Football Association, emphasized that nobody, including the AFA, can determine the moment Lionel Messi retires from football.

Recently, during an interview on Argentine television, AFA President Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia addressed the topic of Lionel Messi's future, while reaffirming that only the 39-year-old superstar himself has the right to decide when he will hang up his boots.

"It is entirely his personal decision. We must let him continue to enjoy playing football. Afterwards, Messi will make the choice he feels is right.", Tapia shared.

According to the AFA chief, the question of whether Messi will continue to wear the Argentina jersey always depends on the player's own feelings. President Tapia recalled that even after winning the 2022 World Cup, no one could be certain Messi would play for another four years.

"In 2022, we didn't even know if he would play in the 2026 World Cup. Messi said he would take it game by game. And I think we just witnessed a fantastic version—if not the best version—of Leo in a World Cup.", President Tapia stated.

Tapia's praise came after a tournament where Messi once again played a central role in the Argentine squad. The Inter Miami star scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists, playing a key part in helping La Albiceleste reach the final.

Argentina later lost 0-1 to Spain after extra time and failed to defend their title. Nevertheless, Tapia believes Messi's performance still deserved special recognition, as he successfully broke numerous historical records.

"That was a wonderful World Cup for Leo. We enjoyed it a lot and we should feel proud. I savored every moment. And if you analyze the World Cup he just had, in my opinion, Messi was the best player. He broke records match after match.", the AFA chief said.

Although he has already turned 39, Messi has not yet made any announcement about his departure from the Argentine national team. His future at Inter Miami also has no specific end date set.

This has led to ongoing speculation about Messi potentially aiming for the 2030 World Cup. If he participates in the tournament hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, Messi would be 43 years old. At that point, he could also challenge another special milestone. Roger Milla currently holds the record as the oldest outfield player to appear at a World Cup, playing for Cameroon at the age of 42 years and 39 days.

However, Tapia does not want to add extra pressure by making predictions about the 2030 World Cup. The AFA President's stance remains clear: Messi will continue playing as long as he feels happy, and the day of retirement will only come when he himself chooses it.