FIFA World Cup 2026: Will stand by Messi – Russian star Kislyak reveals reasons for his fandom
CSKA and Russia midfielder Matvey Kislyak has said that he will support Lionel Messi in FIFA World Cup 2026. Messi has always been his favorite player and hopes that after this cup he can bid farewell to his international career.
Russian national team, CSKA midfielder Matvey Kislyak received second place in the Russian Premier League "Best Young Player" award this season. In a recent interview, he talked about FIFA World Cup 2026. "I watched the 2014 World Cup for the first time. At that time, I mainly supported the Russian team. I was less interested in other teams. But I saw the Argentina-Germany match in the final. From there, my interest in Messi increased. He is now my favorite player. I will mainly support Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, but especially Messi. I hope he wins another World Cup. This will be the last World Cup in his international career. I think it could be a great ending.”
Kislyak further explained that there are many powerful teams participating in the next cup and many star players. He expressed his opinion about the teams of France, England and Spain in particular. Among the players of the Spanish generation, young stars like Padri, Gavi and Yamal are particularly attractive to him, he said.
Kislyak received 131 votes in the RPL young player award. Lokomotiv's Alexei Batrakov took first place (162 points) and CSKA's Kirill Glebov took third place (42 points).
