"A lot of joy over the last 15 years" - Jurgen Klinsmann gives bold take on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo participating in 2026 World Cup 

Former United States manager Jurgen Klinsmann has admitted that he wants to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo feature at the FIFA World Cup in 2026. He believes that the duo will be hungry to deliver and do everything they can to get to the tournament.

Speaking to ESPN via BolaVIP, Klinsmann stated that Messi and Ronaldo have been at their best for the last 15 years. He wishes that the duo can continue playing for another 2 years and make it to the FIFA World Cup.

He said:

“Both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo gave us a lot of joy over the last 15 years, a lot of excitement, and they still do. I hope they will be at the 2026 World Cup. I still think we’ll have them both there.”

Talking about the World Cup itself, Klinsmann stated that he is exicted to see the new format that has 48 teams playing. He added that the tournament will be incredible, saying:

“I think the World Cup coming up in the United States, Mexico, and Canada will be incredible. It will be the first with 48 teams, and there is a lot of excitement to come in the next few years.”

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have not confirmed if they will be playing at the next World Cup. Both have hinted that they are close to retirement and are yet to commit their futures to their respective clubs.

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Jurgen Klinsmann makes bold Lionel Messi claims over Cristiano Ronaldo

Jurgen Klinsmann has admitted that he wanted to see Lionel Messi win the FIFA World Cup once in his career. He added that the Argentine was brilliant at the 2022 edition in Qatar and was delighted to see him lift the trophy.

He said:

"We all, deep down inside, wanted Messi to win the World Cup so that he would reach the same level with which the Argentines view (Diego) Maradona. And he did: he brought them the World Cup in Qatar, two Copa Americas, which is incredible. He’s still playing at a high level and doing well… What he’s done in his career is incredible, amazing.”

When quizzed about the best team going into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Klinsmann named Messi's Argentina and said:

“Argentina will be defending the title, so they are the team to beat.”

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal lost to Morocco to crash out of the tournament in 2022. Argentina, meanwhile, lost to Saudi Arabia in the first match before going on to win the tournament.