Lionel Messi is reportedly set to make a certain plea to Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
A number of big stars have suffered injuries that have ruled them out of the upcoming competition, including N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Paulo Dybala, among many others.
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With that number continuing to increase, some footballers will be concerned about their wellbeing with the tournament now only weeks away.
While this may be on some players' minds, club managers around the world are still under pressure to deliver results and may not be overly concerned about their stars' desire to be as fit as possible for the tournament in Qatar.
With Messi having already confirmed that this World Cup will be his last, the Argentine is reportedly set to issue a request to his PSG manager to ensure that nothing can go wrong before the showpiece kicks off on 20 November.
According to TyC Sports journalist Gaston Edul, the 35-year-old is expected to ask Galtier to bench him for Les Parisiens' final match before the World Cup, which will be against Ligue 1 opponents Auxerre.
PSG are currently first on the league table with a five-point cushion, while Auxerre are just two points above the relegation zone.
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Messi will be hoping he can win the World Cup with Argentina after narrowly missing out in 2014, when the Albiceleste were beaten in the final by Germany despite the forward scoring four goals in seven games at the tournament in Brazil.
The tricky dribbler will also be hoping to end his goalscoring drought in the knockout stages of the competition – he is on a streak of eight consecutive knockout games without a goal, according to Goal.
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