Lionel Messi rules himself out of 2026 World Cup in North America and makes incredible admission about Ballon d’Or

LIONEL MESSI has ruled himself out of the 2026 World Cup and revealed he no longer cares about winning the Ballon d'Or.

The superstar achieved his lifelong ambition of winning the World Cup in Qatar last year.

But he is set to exit the highest level of football after agreeing a deal to join Inter Miami.

Messi, 35, has now played down his chances of featuring at the next World Cup, which will take place in the US, Canada and Mexico.

He told Efe News Agency: "I think not. [Qatar] was my last World Cup.

"I'll see how things go, but as it is right now, no, I won't go to the next World Cup."

Messi's Qatar heroics, with seven goals and three assists, means he is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or – for an eighth time.

But he revealed he is no longer motivated by winning the prestigious award after getting his hands on the most important trophy of all.

He told Titan Sports: 'Does the Ballon d'Or matter to me? No, it's no longer important to me.

"I've always said, the individual prizes are not what matters to me, but the collective ones are the most important.

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"The most important prize at the moment is the World Cup, the greatest prize for me."

Messi's switch to MLS means he ends a two-year stay at PSG where he was unhappy for large parts.

The forward said after leaving: “These were two years in which I was not happy.

“I did not enjoy myself, and that affected my family life. I missed a lot of my children's lives at school.

“[They] were difficult for me. But they are behind me.”