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Lionel Messi: Argentina star will retire because of Barcelona - Hislop
LIONEL MESSI will retire from international duty with Argentina because they do not match the professional demands he has at Barcelona, claims ESPN FC pundit Shaka Hislop.
Messi and Argentina crashed out of the World Cup at the last-16 stage on Saturday, losing to France in a 4-3 thriller.
The superstar has already retired from representing his country before, following the 2016 Copa America, but came out of retirement not long after.
But Hislop believes Messi’s decision will be final this time because of the lack of professionalism around the Argentina setup.
“I think so,” Hislop said when asked if Messi will retire.
At clubs like Barcelona, there’s a sense of professionalism and a sense of pride that goes into every single job
“Not just this team is in disarray and it’s not just about the XI or (Jorge) Sampaoli or whoever may take over, all the way to the very top of the Argentinean Football Association is an absolute shambles.
“When you’re a player, not just of Lionel Messi’s talent, you're used to things being done a certain way, a certain sense of professionalism when you play.
“At clubs like Barcelona, everybody from the guy or lady who is cutting the grass, to the guy or lady serving the post-training meals, there’s a sense of professionalism and a sense of pride that goes into every single job.
“Yet, you look at Argentina, I know admittedly I’m looking in from the outside, you don’t get that feeling about anything in the Argentinean national team setup.
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“Just out of professional pride, you want to step down.
“Not so much about the defeats, or the manner of the defeats, or when they happened or the three finals in a row, but just a certain amount of pride in what you do from day to day.
“And if nobody else can live up to my expectation or what I’m doing or my example, eventually you just step away.
"And so yes, I think yes (he will retire) for those reasons.”