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The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi in an interview with US broadcaster ESPN, confirmed that he will not be competing for a second gold medal with Argentina at the Paris Olympics this summer.
"I had a conversation with Mascherano, the Argentinian Olympic coach, and we quickly reached an understanding," said Messi in the interview aired on Wednesday, as reported by AFP.
"It's a challenging time because of the Copa America, which would require me to be away from my club for two or three consecutive months.
At my age, I need to be selective about the competitions I participate in," added the former Barcelona star, who was part of Argentina's gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Olympics.
Turning 37 on June 24, Messi will be representing defending champions Argentina at the Copa America from June 20 to July 14 in the United States, just weeks before the Olympics kick off on July 26.
Although he has ruled out participating in a sixth World Cup just for the sake of it, Messi has not completely dismissed the possibility of taking part in the 2026 tournament to be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
"While it's great to set records and achieve milestones, I won't participate in a World Cup just to add to my tally," said Messi.
"If everything aligns and I feel good about it, then I may consider it, but I won't do it just for the sake of it. It's hard to predict what will happen because it's still two years away, so I don't need to make a decision right now."
