‘I already completed the game in Qatar’: Messi ahead of record third World Cup final

3 min readJul 18, 2026 12:11 PM Lionel Messi has virtually won everything that is there to be won in international and club football as he approaches a third World Cup final with Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday. The 39-year-old is visibly in great spirits ahead of the summit clash in Spain, with the burden of winning a multi-continental title with the Albiceleste already lifted four years ago.
When he starts the final at the MetLife Stadium, Messi will touch another World Cup record, becoming only the second man after Brazil’s Cafu to appear in three tournament finals.
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Is there room for a greater accomplishment in the game? Will a World Cup double elevate his status to a new level?
Not quite, believes Messi, as he responded to a reporter who likened the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s career to new objectives in a video game.

• “Your career is like a video game, you keep unlocking new levels until you reach the final.”
Leo Messi: “I already completed the game at the last World Cup..” pic.twitter.com/5PH8Xcuhho
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) July 17, 2026
“I already completed the game at the last World Cup,” Messi jokingly said in response at a World Cup final pre-match event on Friday.
Messi also highlighted the nerveless character that his side has carried throughout the tournament, affirming that the Argentina camp are not focussing on the pressure that accompanied the occasion.
Pressure, no pressure
“We grew up playing football with a lot of passion, always eager to play, have fun and enjoy ourselves, wherever we were.  Whether it was at school, on the street or on a team, since we all started in a neighborhood team when we were little ,” Messi was quoted as saying TyC Sports.Story continues below this ad
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“I think we never think about the pressure, we take it as something natural, to play and have a good time. We are a competitive group, we like to win but it is a team sport, the opponent plays and you can’t always win . As a kid I learned that you lose more than you win and that made me grow as a person and as a player ,” said Messi, downplaying the magnitude of the sumit clash.
Messi, who leads the Golden Ball race ahead of the final, will spearhead Argentina’s bid to become the first team in 64 years to defend the title after Brazil in 1962. The FC Barcelona legend last squared off against Spain 16 years ago, powering Argentina to a 4-1 win.