Javier Mascherano firm on Lionel Messi at the World Cup: "Yes, why not?" | OneFootball

On Saturday night, Inter Miami played another preseason friendly and defeated Atlético Nacional of Medellín 2-1 in Colombia as they prepare to begin their defense of the Major League Soccer title. One of the main attractions of the evening was Lionel Messi, who started the match and was substituted in the second half to a huge ovation. After the game, Javier Mascherano spoke about Messi’s possible presence at the next World Cup.

“El Jefecito,” the head coach of Las Garzas, spoke at a press conference after the friendly and was asked if he sees “La Pulga” at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. His response was emphatic: “Yes, why not?”—practically confirming that Messi will be present in the squad led by Lionel Scaloni. “Argentina will face it in the best way possible because they have been competing very well for a long time, they have extraordinary players, and obviously, as an Argentine, I hope our national team does really well,” he concluded.

In addition, the 2014 World Cup runner-up stated that “having Leo allows us to do this kind of tour around South America. Firstly, for the sporting aspect and the challenge of playing against the Colombian champion, in their home, with this atmosphere—matches we’re perhaps not used to playing,” he said. “This helps the Inter Miami brand continue to expand worldwide. It’s a club that’s only six years old, and everywhere we go you see so many jerseys and so much excitement, especially with so many people ending up following the team—it’s important. Clearly, none of this would be possible if Leo hadn’t decided to play here,” he added.

Mascherano and the present of Inter Miami

“We try to keep competing better and better, and today we achieved that. The goal of this preseason is to be in the best possible shape for the start of the league, and having the players we have allows us to come to these kinds of places and for people to keep enjoying and for us to keep gaining more and more fans for our club,” he said. “That’s the advantage of having someone like Leo Messi, who inspires passion wherever he goes.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.