{"id":21534,"date":"2026-06-15T04:20:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/i-hope-he-doesnt-win-it-england-star-takes-brutal-swipe-at-lionel-messi-before-world-cup-2026-football-news\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T04:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:50:13","slug":"i-hope-he-doesnt-win-it-england-star-takes-brutal-swipe-at-lionel-messi-before-world-cup-2026-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/i-hope-he-doesnt-win-it-england-star-takes-brutal-swipe-at-lionel-messi-before-world-cup-2026-football-news\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI hope he doesn\u2019t win it\u201d: England star takes brutal swipe at Lionel Messi before World Cup 2026 | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-131730542,imgsize-49982,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/131730542.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cI hope he doesn\u2019t win it\u201d: England star takes brutal swipe at Lionel Messi before World Cup 2026\" title=\"England defender Dan Burn admitted he hopes Lionel Messi does not win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite praising the Argentine legend as an \u201camazing player.\u201d His comments sparked debate online as Argentina prepare to defend their title in what is expected to be Messi\u2019s final World Cup appearance. Meanwhile, Germany legend Miroslav Klose said he would happily welcome Messi breaking his all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals during the tournament.\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"England defender Dan Burn admitted he hopes Lionel Messi does not win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite praising the Argentine legend as an \u201camazing player.\u201d His comments sparked debate online as Argentina prepare to defend their title in what is expected to be Messi\u2019s final World Cup appearance. Meanwhile, Germany legend Miroslav Klose said he would happily welcome Messi breaking his all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals during the tournament.\">England defender Dan Burn admitted he hopes Lionel Messi does not win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite praising the Argentine legend as an \u201camazing player.\u201d His comments sparked debate online as Argentina prepare to defend their title in what is expected to be Messi\u2019s final World Cup appearance. Meanwhile, Germany legend Miroslav Klose said he would happily welcome Messi breaking his all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals during the tournament.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/lionel-messi\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\">Lionel Messi<\/a>\u2019s possible final FIFA World Cup journey is already creating emotional reactions across the football world. But not everyone wants the Argentine icon to walk away with another trophy.<!-- --> England defender Dan Burn has now shared a brutally honest response about Messi\u2019s chances of defending Argentina\u2019s crown in 2026.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The Newcastle United center back admitted he hopes Messi does not lift the trophy again, even while praising the Inter Miami superstar as one of football\u2019s greatest players. His comments quickly caught attention because they reflect the growing tension surrounding Argentina\u2019s attempt to repeat history at the biggest tournament in football.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Dan Burn sends Lionel Messi warning before Argentina begin <keyword id=\"20482729\" type=\"General\" weightage=\"20\" keywordseo=\"FIFA-World-Cup-2026\" source=\"keywords\">FIFA World Cup 2026<\/keyword> campaign<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>Argentina enter the 2026 FIFA World Cup carrying enormous expectations. Lionel Messi already delivered the ultimate dream in Qatar four years ago, ending years of pressure by guiding Argentina to world glory. Now, many fans believe this tournament could become the perfect final chapter of his international career.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>Dan Burn, however, is not rooting for that ending.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/>Speaking to SC_ESPN, the England defender joked about Messi\u2019s chances while still acknowledging Argentina\u2019s strength and quality. Burn said:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>&#8220;I hope he doesn&#8217;t win it haha in his last dance but he&#8217;s an amazing player, Argentina is a defending champion, deservedly so, so I&#8217;m sure they will go far in the tournament.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>The remark immediately sparked discussion among football fans online. Some praised Burn for his honesty, while others viewed it as a sign that European nations are already wary of Argentina\u2019s dominance heading into the expanded 48-team World Cup.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>Messi\u2019s presence alone changes the mood around the competition. Even at this stage of his career, the Argentine captain remains the face of the tournament. Every touch, every assist, and every goal now carries extra meaning because many believe this will be his farewell appearance on football\u2019s biggest stage.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>Argentina were drawn into Group J alongside Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. On paper, Lionel Scaloni\u2019s squad enters as overwhelming favorites to finish top of the group. Their opening match against Algeria is scheduled for June 17 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Lionel Messi closes in on Miroslav Klose FIFA World Cup record<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>While Argentina chase another title, Lionel Messi is also closing in on one of the most iconic records in World Cup history.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>Former Germany striker Miroslav Klose remains the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 16 goals from 24 appearances. <!-- -->Messi currently sits on 13 goals in 26 World Cup matches, meaning the Argentine could realistically surpass the record during the 2026 tournament.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>Interestingly, Klose himself appears completely relaxed about the possibility.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>Speaking to Suddeutsche Zeitung, the German legend openly backed Messi to break the record if the opportunity arrives. He said:<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"39\"\/>&#8220;That&#8217;s perfectly fine, the record will be broken eventually anyway, Messi is welcome to do it. <!-- -->I&#8217;m a huge Messi fan, always have been.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>That statement added even more intrigue to Messi\u2019s final World Cup mission. Very few players leave football on their own terms. Even fewer get the chance to defend a World Cup title while chasing a historic scoring record. Messi now stands on the edge of both. <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>Whether he finishes with another trophy or not, the spotlight surrounding Argentina\u2019s captain may become the defining story of the entire tournament.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/i-hope-he-doesnt-win-it-england-star-takes-brutal-swipe-at-lionel-messi-before-world-cup-2026\/articleshow\/131730542.cms\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>England defender Dan Burn admitted he hopes Lionel Messi does not win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite praising the Argentine legend as an \u201camazing player.\u201d His comments sparked debate online as Argentina prepare to defend their title in what is expected to be Messi\u2019s final World Cup appearance. Meanwhile, Germany legend Miroslav Klose said [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-latest-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}