Paredes reveals Argentina's pact: 'We play so his last game never comes'
Messi turned the match against Egypt with a goal and an assist. Paredes revealed the Argentine squad's extra motivation at the 2026 World Cup.
The scoreboard read 2–0, Egypt in front, and Argentina staring into the abyss. Then Messi picked up the ball.
What followed has already been written into the history of this World Cup: a surgical assist for Romero, a precise strike to level the score, and Enzo Fernández sealing the epic comeback in Atlanta. The reigning world champions are still alive — and they advance to the quarterfinals against Switzerland in Kansas City next Saturday.
But what his teammates revealed in the dressing room goes beyond tactics. According to ge, midfielder Paredes opened his heart about what drives this group: "We said a lot of things to him. We tried to embrace him, so he feels we'll be with him until the end," he said. And he summed it all up with one line: "We also play so that his last game never comes."
De Paul, Messi's teammate at Inter Miami as well, echoed the same sentiment. "For everything he transmits, beyond what he does on the pitch. It touches us very deeply on a sentimental level," he said, according to ge.
At 39, Messi has already signalled this is his final World Cup. And he is answering the call: he has scored in every Argentina game of the campaign, leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals, and has reached 21 in the tournament's all-time history — the greatest of all time.
Argentina are three games away from something only Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) have ever achieved: back-to-back titles. The Golmetria model gives Argentina a 22% chance of lifting the trophy — the highest of any remaining side.
For Messi's teammates, though, the number that matters is a different one: zero. Zero final games. As long as he is still standing, the World Cup goes on.