With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just days away, former Argentina player Pablo Zabaleta offered his perspective on how the national team might perform and, more specifically, on the role <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/lionel-messi/">Lionel Messi</a> will play.



“Obviously, we don’t have the Messi of five years ago that maybe he can drop deep and get a ball, you know, on the halfway line and just run as before,” admitted Zabaleta during a recent interview with The National. However, he expressed confidence in what the 38-year-old star can still contribute.



“He’s still really good, or good enough to dribble past two, three players and put the ball in the top corner,” said the former defender. “He’s the main man for those moments of magic or that creativity he brings into the team. If you let Messi get a ball in the final third outside the box…”



Messi’s age and physical condition have been the subject of speculation in recent years, with the forward himself fueling the conversation when he publicly questioned whether he would participate in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup/">2026 World Cup</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/06/03184701/zabaleta-1-1920x1080.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-649457"><figcaption>Pablo Zabaleta and Lionel Messi playing for Argentina.</figcaption></figure>



Now, with his place in the squad confirmed, Leo is preparing to celebrate his 39th birthday during the tournament on June 24. By then, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/argentina/">Argentina</a> will have already played their first two matches, against Algeria and Austria, and will be preparing for their final group-stage game against Jordan three days later.


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<h2>Zabaleta confident Argentina will support Messi</h2>



While acknowledging Messi’s physical decline and how it has affected his style of play, Pablo Zabaleta expressed strong confidence that the team around him will do everything possible to help the forward shine and ultimately make the difference.



“You know, it is Messi surrounded by players that want to do well for Messi. They want to run as much as they can for Messi. I think if the team manages to find a way to rest off the ball, when they get back in possession, they can find him in a good position, he still can do the rest,” said the former player.



“He still has that quality to win games, to score goals. At the end of the day, that’s all you need at the World Cup, is to win games,” added Zabaleta. “We need to enjoy it because it could be Messi’s last World Cup. Hopefully, he still has that moment of magic to win games and to win the World Cup. Why not?”



<h2>Who is Pablo Zabaleta?</h2>



Pablo Zabaleta’s comments carry particular weight because of the amount of time he spent alongside Lionel Messi both on and off the field. The former right back enjoyed a successful career in European soccer, first with Espanyol — where he faced Leo on several occasions — and later with Manchester City and West Ham in the Premier League.



Those club performances earned Zabaleta a place with Argentina. He made 58 appearances for the national team between 2005 and 2016, including the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which he won alongside Messi, as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa America, where they finished as runners-up.

‘We don’t have the Messi of five years ago,’ admits former Argentina teammate Zabaleta on World Cup hopes

‘We don't have the Messi of five years ago,’ admits former Argentina teammate Zabaleta on World Cup hopes - World Soccer Talk

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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Webb.jpg"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-112788" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2014/08/Webb-600x374-600x374.webp" alt="Webb" width="600" height="374" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></figure></div></a>
The most entertaining game of the weekend came at the King Power Stadium, where Leicester came back from 3-1 down to win 5-3 at the expense of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/09/22/manchester-uniteds-august-september-progress-report/">Manchester United</a>. There is no escaping that United’s defense were all over the place. It was naive at the best of times, but the decision to award Leicester a penalty at 3-1 was extremely poor officiating. Being a United fan, its easy to dispute this decision, but from an official’s perspective it was a shocking decision. Firstly, Rafael is shoved over by Jamie Vardy. Mark Clattenburg waved play on, only to give the Foxes a penalty for a lesser offence. Vardy’s arm was raised in the first challenge, whereas Rafael used his shoulders in the second in order to defend. It wasn’t the reason for United’s downfall, but certainly changed the game and gave the home side the impetus to keep attacking.
Clattenburg correctly awarded Leicester’s second penalty after Tyler Blackett tripped up Vardy in the box. The red card that followed cannot be argued. &nbsp;The biggest game of the weekend came at The Etihad. Mike Dean was the man in charge and overall he was pretty picky with his yellow cards. This was highlighted by Pablo Zabaleta’s first booking which wasn’t even a foul in my view. Hazard just ran into him. The second yellow was justified though. A late, clumsy challenge, which was dealt with consistently from Dean, which is a positive. It would have been nice to see the game flow a bit more however.
West Ham goalkeeper, Adrian was involved in two incidents during the Hammers’ 3-1 victory over Liverpool. The first incident came after a challenge with Mario Balotelli. The pair exchanged words as well as handbags and both were correctly cautioned by Craig Pawson. In the second half, a ball was played through to Fabio Borini and Adrian charged out of his goal to claim the ball. He gathered the ball but raised his leg in an unnatural position, with studs showing and made contact with Borini’s leg. I can’t believe that he stayed on the pitch. It was a nasty foul that was certainly worth a second yellow at such an important time in the game, with the home side 2-1 up.
Stoke’s first goal at QPR surprised me somewhat. Peter Crouch had his arms pushing down on Rio Ferdinand. Nobody appealed for a foul which was strange as it was a definite infringement. Martin Atkinson should have spotted it. Poor decision.
Wilfried Bony’s appearance against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/09/19/southamptons-august-september-progress-report/">Southampton</a> was over before the break after two reckless fouls, both on Maya Yoshida. The first was a charge on the Japanese international, where Bony was shouting into the challenge. Bizarre to the the least. Jon Moss then dismissed Bony for a hack from behind. No question that the correct call was made. Consistent officiating.
Moving to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/09/21/evertons-august-september-progress-report/">Goodison Park</a> where there were two more penalties, this time awarded by Michael Oliver. The first went in favour of Palace when Tim Howard bundled into James MacArthur. Correct decision and a good one too, especially with the amount of bodies Oliver had to look through. Oliver was again put on the spot in a similar incident, but this time Palace defender Scott Dann brought down James McCarthy. Again, a good decision by the leagues youngest official, who has the ability to be a Champions League and World Cup referee.

Reviewing The Premier League's Key Decisions From Week 5

Reviewing The Premier League's Key Decisions From Week 5 - World Soccer Talk

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‘We don’t have the Messi of five years ago,’ admits former Argentina teammate Zabaleta on World Cup hopes

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Reviewing The Premier League's Key Decisions From Week 5