Argentina's captain and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Lionel Messi has revealed the two countries that stand a solid chance to win the Qatar World Cup 2022.
All eyes will be on Qatar when the nation hosts the FIFA World Cup 2022 starting November 20. Football enthusiasts worldwide have sparked discussions about which country would clinch the coveted trophy, and iconic Argentinian forward Lionel Messi has also revealed his top picks. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star, who confirmed earlier this month that the upcoming showpiece event would be the last World Cup in his illustrious career, would be hoping he can lead his nation to glory. However, the 35-year-old legend believes that apart from Argentina, two other countries stand a strong chance.
In an interview with the Argentine outlet DIRECTV, Messi was asked to name his favourites for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The Argentina captain picked PSG teammates Neymar's Brazil and Kylian Mbappe's France as his two favourites to win the coveted trophy in Qatar.
"As for the favourites, there are big teams like Brazil, Germany, France, England, Spain, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. But if I have to keep one or two, today I think Brazil and France are the two big candidates for this World Cup," Messi said.
Argentina is among the favourites to win the World Cup 2022 since defeating Italy in the Finalissima and winning the Copa América in 2021. However, the possibility of missing the coveted tournament due to an injury has become a cause of concern for Messi. Due to the recent injuries to Argentina's Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala, the 35-year-old legend has started to doubt his fitness ahead of November's showpiece event.
Expressing his concerns to DirectTV Sports, the Argentina captain said, "Injuries are a worry. This is a different World Cup which is played at a different time of the year to previous tournaments and it is so imminent any little thing that happens to you can force you out. With what happened to Dybala and Di Maria, the truth is that personally you worry and you're more afraid when you see those sort of things."
Speaking to Star + in Argentina earlier this month, when asked about whether this would be his final World Cup, Messi said, "Yes. Surely, yes." The former Barcelona legend also spoke about Argentina's chances of winning the World Cup 2022. "I don't know if we are the favourite candidates, but Argentina is always a candidate because of history, because of what it means. We are not the top favourites, it seems to me. There are other teams that are above us today, but we are very close," the iconic footballer added.