"He will decide until when" – Julian Alvarez speaks about Lionel Messi retirement ahead of Copa America

Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez has opened up on Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi's retirement plans ahead of the start of the Copa America next month.

Since the start of the new Major League Soccer (MLS) season, Messi has been in excellent form for Inter Miami. The 36-year-old has scored 10 goals and laid out nine assists in just 10 league games so far.

With Messi set to represent La Albiceleste in the upcoming Copa America, Alvarez was asked if the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner will continue to play for his national team. He replied (h/t Mundo Albiceleste):

"Let's hope so. He will decide until when but hopefully, he will. We want him to be there."

Asked to share his thoughts about his season at City, Alvarez replied:

"I'm already in my second year. I played a lot of minutes in most of the game this season, especially in the first six months and I think I did a good job. I feel adapted to the league and let's hope that what's to come will be even better. It was a very good season. We won the Premier League, we were in the final of the FA Cup, we competed in the Champions League. I think it was a great season."

Alvarez, who helped the Cityzens win a prestigious treble last season, started 39 of his 54 appearances across competitions for his club this campaign. The 24-year-old scored 19 goals, including 11 in the league, and provided 13 assists operating in multiple roles.

Both Messi and Alvarez are expected to be in action together in Argentina's upcoming two friendlies. Lionel Scaloni's side will first face Ecuador at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago on June 9 and play Guatemala at Commanders Field in Washington five days later.

Rodrigo De Paul claims only Lionel Messi's spot is guaranteed ahead of Copa America

Rodrigo De Paul has named Lionel Messi as the only player with a guaranteed Argentina spot while opining on Paulo Dybala's exclusion from the Copa America squad. He said (X/@MessiFCIndia):

"Paulo not being here is a hard blow, because I care about him and he's my friend. Scaloni has always been very clear with us after becoming world champions: there is only one player who has a guaranteed spot, and that's the number 10. The rest of us have to fight and do our best in our teams to [get selected]."

Dybala, who has only appeared in three major tournaments for Argentina so far, relished a fine season at AS Roma. The 30-year-old registered 16 goals and 10 assists in 39 appearances for the Serie A club.

Meanwhile, defending champions Argentina will begin their 2024 Copa America campaign with a Group A clash against Canada on June 20. They will later face Chile on June 25 and Peru on June 29.