New Delhi, Oct 28 : Lionel Messi has expressed hope of representing Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, aiming to help the defending champions retain their title when the tournament takes place in North America next summer, despite fitness and age concerns.

Messi has been playing professionally since 2004. He made his La Liga debut with Barcelona in October of that year at only 17 years old, becoming, at the time, the youngest player to play for the Spanish club.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner told NBC News that he will evaluate how his body feels before deciding whether to participate in the tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

'It's something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup, and I would love to,' said Messi, who will turn 39 next June. 'I would like to be there, to be well and be an important part of helping my national team, if I am there. And I'm going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter (Miami) and see if I can really be 100%, if I can be useful to the group, to the national team, and then make a decision."

"Obviously, I'm really eager because it's a World Cup. We're coming off winning the last World Cup, and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it's always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions," he added.

In 2021, Messi left Barcelona and moved to the French club Paris Saint-Germain. After two years with PSG, Messi signed with the American league Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami.

Having enjoyed a decorated club career, Messi's international success came in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties to win its first trophy since 1986. Messi won his second Golden Ball and was voted the tournament's best player.

'It was the dream of my life. It was also true that it was the only thing missing at a professional level because I had been lucky enough to have achieved everything at an individual level, at a team level with Barcelona, and I think that's every player's dream. When you ask a player what their dream is, it's to be world champion," Messi said of the 2022 World Cup win.

/IANS