Lionel Messi says he would not swap his Barcelona medals for the chance to win the World Cup with Argentina.
Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time for his exploits at the Camp Nou, where he has won 10 La Liga titles, six Copas del Rey and four Champions Leagues since making his first-team debut in 2004.
However, success at international level has so far proved elusive for the forward, who will be 35 years of age by the time the 2022 World Cup begins.
Messi came closest to glory with Argentina at the 2014 World Cup, but the South Americans were beaten 1-0 by Germany in the final.
The Albiceleste also finished as runners-up in back-to-back Copas America in 2015 and 2016, losing to Chile on both occasions.
More recently, Messi and Argentina suffered elimination from the 2018 World Cup in the round of 16, before being defeated by Brazil in the semi-finals of the Copa America earlier this year.
Some have claimed that Messi cannot be considered superior to Diego Maradona, who inspired Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup, unless he also gets his hands on the famous trophy.
However, the Barcelona captain insists he would not give up his club honours for a World Cup winner’s medal.
"I would have loved to be a world champion," Messi told TyC Sports. “But I don't think I would change anything else in my career to be one.
"This is what I was given, what God gave me. It is what it is. I couldn't dream of everything that I experienced after. It was far bigger than anything I could've imagined.”
Barcelona are not in action this weekend after their proposed home clash with Real Madrid was postponed due to safety concerns surrounding the ongoing protests in Catalonia.
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