Lionel Messi discusses possible retirement plans: 'The moment I feel I am no longer able to perform'

Lionel Messi has discussed the prospect of retiring from football and has admitted that he knows when that day will come.

Although he is not suggesting the moment to hang up his boots will arrive anytime soon, Messi says he will be able to recognise when to stop and won't continue playing longer than necessary.

Having lifted the World Cup captaining Argentina in 2022, Messi received his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or award in 2023, further enshrining his position as one of the sport's greatest-ever players.

After a glittering career that featured several fruitful years at Barcelona and a spell at Paris Saint-Germain, Messi, who is now 37, is currently playing for Inter Miami and acknowledges the day will come when he finally calls time on football.

"I know that the moment I feel that I am no longer able to perform, that I no longer enjoy or help my team-mates, I will quit," he said in an interview on

.

"I'm very self-critical. I know when I'm good, when I'm bad, when I'm playing well, and when I'm playing badly.

"When I feel it's time to take that step, I'll take it without thinking about age. If I feel good, I'll always try to keep competing because it's what I like and what I know how to do."

Messi added: "I haven't yet thought of what I'm going to do when I retire. Today, I try to enjoy the day-to-day, the moments, without thinking about life after [football]."

Messi's most decorated period as a player came during 17 years at Barca, where he helped the club to 10 La Liga and four Champions League titles.

However, in 2021 - with the club in a state of financial and political disarray - he was unable to agree a new deal and left on a free transfer to join PSG.

Messi admits he never wanted to leave the Catalan club and found it hard to come to terms with having to depart.

"It was difficult to change when I went to PSG, because I was doing very well at Barcelona and I thought I was going to stay there," he said.

"I wasn't ready to leave, everything happened very quickly. I had to rebuild my life from one day to the next.

"I got to know another league, another club, a new locker room. It was a change we weren't looking for and that's why it was difficult at the start."

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