Various rumors are actively being discussed in the football world, including the possible end of Cristiano Ronaldo's and Lionel Messi's careers with their national teams, as well as suspicions regarding match-fixing at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
Various rumors are actively being discussed in the football world, including the possible end of Cristiano Ronaldo's and Lionel Messi's careers with their national teams, as well as suspicions regarding match-fixing at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
After Portugal left the 2026 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo stated that this tournament would be his last World Cup. According to circulating information, the 41-year-old forward has decided to end his career with the Portuguese national team. It is planned that the match against Wales in Lisbon at the José Alvalade stadium in September within the Nations League will be his last game for the team.
According to rumors, Lionel Messi has also decided to end his appearances for the Argentina national team. There are reports that after losing the 2026 World Cup final, he told his teammates that it would be his last match for the national team. Currently, Messi has not officially confirmed this information. Meanwhile, the Argentine Football Association expresses hope to see him at the 2028 Copa America.
There is also circulating information that Cristiano Ronaldo supported Argentina and Lionel Messi during the 2026 World Cup. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that Ronaldo liked a social media post where he criticized Argentina for corruption. Furthermore, it is noted that Ronaldo did not want to answer questions about Messi during the tournament.
The Italian Football Federation was negotiating with José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti while searching for a new head coach for the national team. According to available data, Mourinho intends to take a break until at least next summer. As for Ancelotti, he declined the offer from Italy, stating his loyalty to the Brazilian national team. He previously extended his contract with Brazil until the end of the next World Cup.
A report published by the Council of Europe noted that seven matches of the 2026 World Cup raise suspicions. The match Spain vs. Cabo Verde attracted the most attention, where an unknown person placed a bet of more than $4.5 million on a draw before the game. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. The red card shown to Thembe Zwanege during the opening match of the tournament, Mexico vs. South Africa, was also included in the list of questionable situations. However, FIFA has stated that this report does not prove that the matches were fixed, and there is currently no sufficient evidence.
It has been established that the lineage of Argentina national team captain Lionel Messi has Brazilian roots. This was reported by the publication Globo, based on a genealogical study conducted by Italian historian Fiorentino Santini.
According to the study's results, one of Messi's maternal great-grandfathers, Federico Cucchettini, was born on January 27, 1904, in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, Brazil. His parents, Italians Ranero Cucchettini and Rosa Riccetta, arrived in Brazil aboard the ship 'Washington' in 1899 and began working on farms in the state of São Paulo.
According to the historian, the family name changed in Brazil. During the registration process, the name Arderigo Cucchettini was assigned the name Federico, and the surname Coccettini transformed into Cuccittini. Later, Messi's mother, Celia Maria Cuccittini, also bore this surname.
A year after Federico's birth, the family moved to the city of Rosario, Argentina. It was there that the footballer's grandfather, Antonio Cucchettini, and later Lionel Messi himself were born. Santini noted that his research began by studying the history of the Messi family from the time the footballer started shining at 'Barcelona'. The work to reconstruct the maternal branch of the family continued from 2019 to 2022.
In the historian's opinion, the surname Cuccittini, which is rarely found in Italy, played an important role in identifying the connection between the Messi family and Brazil. It is noted that Messi currently has no relatives living in Brazil, as the family left the country back in 1905 and moved to Argentina.
Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni jokingly responded to the question of how to stop Spanish winger Lamine Yamal ahead of the 2026 World Cup final.
Scaloni asked journalists: 'Everyone is asking how to stop the Spanish Messi. Now I will ask you: how does Argentina stop Yamal?' The coach, smiling, stated: 'Honestly, I would just like to lock him in a room.'
After this, Scaloni highly praised the 19-year-old footballer. He noted: 'Yamal is a wonderful player. He is a real treasure for football.' Scaloni added that the player is still very young and has a long career ahead of him, and he will bring much joy to Spain.
Nevertheless, the coach expressed hope that such a thing will not happen on Sunday. He concluded that Yamal is one of those players who is very difficult to stop, similar to Messi.
Argentina national team captain Lionel Messi shared his opinion on Spanish winger Lamine Yamal ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
Messi highly rated Lamine, calling him a remarkable footballer whom he has observed since he played for his favorite club. He wished Yamal luck, noting that at the age of 19, he has already become one of the world's best footballers.
According to Messi, a great career and the opportunity to make history await Yamal. However, regarding the upcoming final, Messi emphasized that they will do everything possible to prevent this. He acknowledged that Yamal is currently among the world's best players and wished him success, as Yamal's success will also benefit Barcelona.
Messi also noted that Spain has excellent footballers and the team plays very well, but added that their team also has its own strengths.
