The 2026 Football World Cup is just 5 months away. Ahead of this, rumors have surfaced that Lionel Messi wants to return to Europe to prepare himself for the World Cup. And Turkish giants Galatasaray want to seize this opportunity. This information was recently revealed by renowned Turkish football analyst Levent Tüzemen.
He claimed that discussions have already taken place between Galatasaray and Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has reportedly expressed interest in playing for the Turkish club on a four-month contract, which would involve a total of 12 matches.
All of these matches would be in Istanbul, specifically at Rams Park. Messi’s condition is that he will only play in home matches. While this condition seems somewhat unusual, it is reportedly a decision made to avoid the immense frenzy his presence would create in Turkey.
Tüzemen made this explosive claim during a live broadcast on A Spor after Galatasaray’s 4-0 victory against Kayserispor.
Tüzemen, known for his bold statements, said that the management also confirmed the matter. They tried to bring Lionel Messi to Galatasaray from the United States. Messi reportedly said that the pace of playing in the American league is becoming too much for him and he doesn’t want to go to the World Cup with an injury.
He also mentioned that Messi received an offer from the Saudi Pro League but rejected it, stating that Al-Hilal made an offer, but he did not accept it. He added that if Messi were to come, a million people would go to the airport.
Tüzemen further stated that Messi has clearly laid out his conditions for coming to Turkey. According to him, Messi said he would only come on the condition that he plays in Istanbul. He will play 12 matches, but will not participate in any away games.
Lionel Messi has not yet officially confirmed his participation in the 2026 World Cup. However, it is expected that he will respond to the call of head coach Lionel Scaloni and captain Argentina in the tournament. During this tournament, his number of international matches will exceed 200.
