Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi has admitted he is worried about missing this year's World Cup through injury.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, 35, recently confirmed the tournament in Qatar would be his last World Cup - and he's now admitted that after seeing Argentina's Paulo Dybala and Angel Di Maria suffer injuries, he fears he could be next.
Messi, who missed his PSG's last two games - including the Champions League tie against Benfica - because of a calf strain, told DirecTV Sports: "Injuries are a worry. This is a different World Cup which is played at a different time of the year to previous tournaments and it’s so imminent any little thing that happens to you can force you out.
"With what happened to Dybala and Di Maria, the truth is that personally you worry and you’re more afraid when you see those sort of things."
Messi added: "It’s something you think about but I feel going out to play with that in your head can be contradictory as well. The best thing you can do is perform as normal and play your game as you always do. I hope Di Maria and Dybala recover in time. They have enough time to do so and reach the tournament in good shape."
Messi previously suffered heartbreak in the 2014 World Cup final when an extra-time strike from Germany's Mario Gotze ended his dream. He said in a separate interview earlier this month: "This will be my last World Cup - for sure. The decision has been made."
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PSG's next game is against Ligue 1 title rivals Marseille at the Parc des Princes on Sunday evening. Christophe Galtier's side are top of the table but just one point ahead of Lorient in second and three ahead of Igor Tudor's Marseille in third.
Messi is expected to feature in Sunday's game. He was in good form before his calf injury, scoring eight goals and providing as many assists in 13 games this season. Speaking to the press on Friday, Galtier said: "Leo trained this morning, normally with the group.
"He did the whole session and then we will wait to see how he reacts to the session. And tomorrow morning, we will wait to see how he reacts to the session tomorrow. But at the moment I'm talking to you: yes, [I can count on Messi]."
Juventus winger Di Maria was ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury after coming off in the first half of the Italian team's mid-week Champions League match against Maccabi Haifa.
Roma manager Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, has cast doubt over Dybala's participation in the World Cup by claiming he does not expect to see him play for the Serie A side until next year after his "very bad" muscle injury in his team's league match against Lecce.
Argentina are among the favourites to win this year's World Cup, with Brazil, France and England - despite their poor form - also in contention for the prestigious gong.
