FIFA President: 'Messi is the highest-ranking ambassador of football'

According to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, 36-year-old striker Lionel Messi is the key to promoting football in North America as well as globally.

Infantino was invited to speak online, at an event for sports administrators in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the evening of September 6.

He said he would continue to enjoy Messi's performances until he hung up his boots. "Messi is the highest ambassador for football, both in the United States and in the world ," he added. "The upcoming South American World Cup qualifiers are going to be tough, but with Messi, Argentina fans will enjoy it."

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left) and Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup award ceremony in Lusail, Qatar on December 18, 2022. Photo: Sky Sports

The 53-year-old president also recalled Argentina's World Cup triumph in 2022, and congratulated Messi again. "I thought Messi won the 2022 World Cup yesterday, but it's been nine months," Infantino said. "The last World Cup was the most impressive in history, and I don't know if there will be another final like it."

Messi scored twice in the final, and also had his say on the other goal, as Argentina drew 3-3 with France at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on December 18, 2022. Kylian Mbappe also scored a hat-trick, helping the European side chase the score from the second half into extra time. In the penalty shootout, Mbappe and Messi both scored, but Argentina won, as they succeeded in all four of their penalties, while their opponents missed twice. The FIFA president said the match had all the dramatic elements of football.

Argentina will prepare to play their first official match as defending World Cup champions, when they play Ecuador in a qualifier at 7am on Friday, September 8, Hanoi time. Messi is expected to start for the hosts in this match.

In his speech, Infantino said FIFA will hold a vote in December 2024 to choose the host of the 2030 World Cup. That tournament, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, was held in Uruguay. Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay are in the running to host the 2030 World Cup, but they are competing with a joint bid from Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Ukraine.

Infantino believes that no matter which confederation hosts the 2030 World Cup, it will be a success. He also confirmed that FIFA will continue to use video assistant referee (VAR) technology in future tournaments. "I cannot imagine a tournament without VAR," he said. "It feels like this technology has been around for a hundred years, even though we first tested it at the Intercontinental Cup in 2017."

Hoang An

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