"It's too much pressure": Mark Wahlberg spoke about Messi's retirement and surprised with his reflection

The end of the era of Leo Messi in his country's national soccer team has generated countless reactions both within the world of soccer and in other disciplines as well, and this time the opinion came from an unexpected place.

In this case, Wahlberg, a renowned Hollywood actor and star of hits such as Ted, Daddy's Home, and Transformers, also expressed his opinion regarding the decision of Argentina's "10" and pointed to a reason that, in his view, had a lot to do with the final decision.

The pressure that may have influenced Messi's decision

During an interview with El Diario de Nueva York, the American actor said that he can hardly imagine what it means for Messi to carry the weight of an entire country. “It’s too much pressure. It must be very, very stressful”, Wahlberg reflected when referring to the situation of the Argentine captain.

The actor explained the importance that soccer has for Argentinians, which makes the situation of a figure like the captain of the Herons even more difficult.

"I think that the amount of pressure and stress he must be under, carrying the weight of an entire country, and given how important football is to them (the Argentinians), I can only imagine it. It’s too much pressure. It must be very, very stressful", he said while, together with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, presenting his new film: "At Any Price."

Wahlberg also referred to the possibility that Messi was still thinking about the next World Cup and said he was surprised by the level he still maintains at 39 years old.

He added: "I don't think he was going to wait another four years to return to the World Cup. It's incredible that he's still playing, and he did very well in the World Cup. A few days ago he scored four goals with Miami".

The match in question took place last August 29, when Inter Miami defeated Montréal of Canada 7-1 and Messi produced, no more and no less than, a four-goal haul. Yes, four goals in the same match.

Along those same lines, he highlighted the impact the Argentine star has had on MLS since his arrival.

"He is teaching them how to play. How many goals are you going to score today: four, five? Okay, no problem", he said in a somewhat comical tone. Wahlberg also spoke about Americans' relationship with soccer and acknowledged that interest is usually closely tied to the national team's results.

Mark acknowledged that his interest in soccer grew after the last World Cup and explained how he perceives many Americans’ relationship with the sport. According to him, enthusiasm tends to increase when the United States national team gets good results, but it can quickly disappear when defeats come.

"I’m learning to like it much more after the World Cup. If the United States wins a few matches, everyone puts on the jersey and, as soon as they lose, "We don’t like soccer"", he said. Lastly, he mentioned the existence of a rumor linking Neymar with Inter Miami for 2027 and concluded: "So this is where they come to have a real recreation".

Messi thus brought to a close a period of more than two decades wearing the Argentine jersey, marked by the titles of the 2021 and 2024 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima, and the Qatar World Cup, and Mark's statements focus on a different aspect of retirement: not only do his age or sporting performance have an impact, but also the emotional toll of representing for so many years a national team on which the expectations of millions of people rest.

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