No， Lionel Messi will not be playing at the World Cup this year. The Argentine forward has decided to focus on his club duties with Barcelona instead. This comes as a shock to many， as Messi is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time， and he has been an integral part of the Argentine national team for many years.
This decision is believed to be partly motivated by the lack of success Argentina have had in recent World Cup campaigns， with the team failing to reach the semi-finals in either the 2014 or 2018 tournaments. It is thought that Messi feels that he can no longer bring the successes that Argentina needs in order to compete at the highest levels.
Messi will now focus on his club duties with Barcelona， as the team look to reclaim the La Liga title from rivals Real Madrid. He will also be looking to add to his astonishing list of individual accolades， as he aims to cement his place as the greatest player in football history.
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