Messi: Euro is not better than World Cup because of lack of South American teams

Mbappe is about to join the French national team for the second Euro of his career, after the first failed to win the tournament after losing to Switzerland in the round of 16. In a recent statement, the striker said that winning the Euro is much more difficult than the World Cup, where he won in 2018 and reached the final, losing to Messi's Argentina in 2022.

In an exclusive interview withESPNOn June 12, Messi disagreed with his former teammate's opinion. The 36-year-old striker cited the fact that Brazil has won the world championship five times, Argentina has won the world championship three times, Uruguay has won the world championship twice, but all three did not participate in the Euro - a tournament only for European teams.

"Everyone wants to emphasize the importance of the tournament they are participating in. The Euros is a big tournament, with many strong teams and many good players, but there are not many other world champions to say that this is the most difficult tournament," Messi added. "The best teams and world champions are all present at the World Cup. That's why everyone wants to win the World Cup."

Messi has won everything possible in his career. At club level, he has won 4 Champions Leagues, 10 La Ligas, 2 Ligue 1s and 2 trebles. With Argentina, the striker has won the 2022 World Cup, the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Intercontinental Super Cup, the 2005 U20 World Cup and the 2008 Olympic gold medal. Messi holds the record for winning 44 collective titles.

On an individual level, Messi holds the record for winning 8 Ballon d'Ors, 6 European Golden Shoes and 2 World Cup Golden Balls. He is the only player to win the Ballon d'Or in three different decades and 4 consecutive Ballon d'Ors.

According to Messi, the 2022 World Cup championship has given him a new perspective on his career. "I look at things in a different way, but I try not to think about it and just enjoy it," the 36-year-old striker said. "Now, I enjoy it more because I know that I don't have much time left to play at the top level. I have fun with the club, I enjoy my time with the national team and many other things. I enjoy the small details that I know I will miss when I retire."

Messi is currently focusing on Argentina's preparation for the Copa America 2024 - the tournament takes place from June 20 to July 14, in 14 cities in the US. Argentina will play three Copa America Group A matches against Canada, Chile and Peru on June 20, 25 and 29 respectively. Messi is optimistic about the preparation, quality and desire of the team, and believes that Argentina has a good chance of defending the championship they won in Brazil in 2021.

"Argentina are always a candidate in every tournament. That position is even clearer now, because we have won the last three major tournaments - Copa America 2021, Finalissima and World Cup 2022, and also because of the quality of the current team. The upcoming Copa America will be difficult, balanced as it is, but Argentina can still be crowned the highest once again," said Messi.

Messi admitted that it was very difficult to decide to leave Europe to play for Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, and consider this the last club of his career. "I love playing football and have done this all my life," he said. "I like to train every day and look forward to the matches. The fear that everything will end is always there and it is inevitable. Leaving Europe for Inter Miami was a difficult step, but I think this will be my last club."