Messi Does A U-Turn, Will Continue To Play International Matches

Qatar: In a change of heart, Lionel Messi, who won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Sunday, said he has changed his decision to retire from international football. Earlier, the legendary Argentine footballer had announced that he would not play for his national team after the FIFA World Cup final in Qatar on Sunday.

The 35-year-old striker led his country to its third FIFA World Cup title after defeating France 4-2 in a shootout.

“I want to play a few more games as a world champion. I was lucky to clinch every title in my career; this was the only one missing. I want to take this one there (to Argentina) and enjoy it with everybody else,” Messi told the media after winning the FIFA World Cup. Messi also won the Golden boot, becoming the first man to do so twice.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner departs World Cup football after one of the most influential tournament performances of all time on a match-to-match basis, taking his total of Player of the Match wins to 11 across five tournaments.

He was named the Player of the Match in five games, including all of their prior knockout fixtures and the final, besting the record of four he previously jointly shared with the Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder after his performances in 2014.