Argentina captain Lionel Messi has announced this year’s FIFA World Cup will be the final World Cup of his career.

The 35-year-old confirmed the news on Tuesday during an interview on Latin American streaming service Star+ , per Argentine outlet TN.

“Is it my last World Cup? Yes, surely yes, surely yes,” Messi said. “I am counting down the days to the World Cup.

“There is a bit of anxiety and nerves at the same time. Wanting it to be now and the nerves that were are already there, what is going to happen.

“It’s the last one, how are we going to do. Yes, on the one hand, we can’t wait for it to arrive and on the other hand, we’re scared of wanting it to go well.”

Messi holds the Argentine records for caps (164) as well as goals (90) and ended his agonising wait for a major trophy on the international stage with victory over Brazil in last year’s Copa America final.

The PSG superstar added: “I don’t know if we are the great candidates (at the World Cup) , but Argentina itself is always a candidate because of history, because of what it means.

“More now at the moment we arrived. But we are not the top favorites it seems to me. There are other teams that are above us today, but we are very close.”