In a radio interview on Monday, the Argentine star said that the World Cup trophy picked him to lift it.
Lifting the World Cup trophy is Messi.
The 35-year-old helped his country win the World Cup last month by scoring two goals and a penalty in the South Americans' shootout victory over the previous champions, France, after a dramatic 3-3 draw in Qatar.
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Messi stated, "The cup cried out to me, telling me: come and get me; now you can touch me."
He proceeded, referring to Doha's majestic Lusail Stadium, the championship game site.
Messi finally took home the trophy in his fifth and final World Cup match after falling to Germany in the 2014 championship game.
He participated in three fruitless Copa America finals before finally capturing the championship in 2021.
"God kept it for me after so much pain and losing finals," the Argentine said.
Consequently, he became Diego Maradona's successor as the second Arntina captain to lift the trophy since 1986.
Kissing the World Cup trophy is Lionel Messi.
"I wanted Maradona to give me the trophy so he could at least watch Argentina winning," he said.
Maradona went away after a heart attack two years ago.
"He gave me courage from above, as did so many individuals who love me,"
Many believed Messi would stop competing after the victory in Qatar, at least for the international squad. Still, he decided to continue so he could stand beside his teammates as world champions.
In 2022, Argentina won the World Cup.
He did, however, accept that the end was nigh after a career full of success, including four Champions League successes, ten La Liga titles with Barcelona, a Ligue 1 medal with Paris Saint-Germain, and a record seven Ballon d'Or triumphs.
He said, "I've accomplished everything with the national team, with Barcelona, and myself. There's nothing left."
