Cristian Pavon, Lionel Messi's 'new partner' at the World Cup

Lionel Scaloni has been witness to many of Lionel Messi's magical moments over the course of his career but the Argentina manager said on Tuesday that even at the age of 37 his captain continues to amaze him.

Messi, who was making just his second international appearance since recovering from an injury sustained at the Copa America in July, scored his 10th international hat-trick as Argentina beat Bolivia 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

The record eight-times Ballon d'Or winner said after the game he would keep playing as long as he can perform the way he wants and Scaloni hoped he would be on the pitch for years to come.

"It never ceases to amaze," Scaloni told reporters. "At one point I sit down with (assistant coach) Pablo Aimar and tell him that this is wonderful.

"To be able to be on the bench and see the things he does? The team is with him and what I ask him to do is to play as long as he can."

Despite missing a few players through injury and suspension, Scaloni said he could not be more proud of his squad.

Goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez was suspended for two matches by FIFA for offensive behaviour in September and missed qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia.

"The big players know that if they give the chance to play to a kid who comes from behind they could lose their place," Scaloni said. "That breath of fresh air generates a lot for us. The boys are behaving in an exemplary manner."

Lionel Messi's first trip to the MLS playoffs ended in shock disappointment but the World Cup winner has injected new life into Inter Miami and the North American top-flight, even as he finishes his first full season without the league title.

Messi's team had the best regular season in MLS history with a record 74 points but they could not keep up the momentum and were stunned by Atlanta United in the playoffs on Saturday.

It was bad news for those hoping to cash in on the world's most famous player reaching the finale, including Apple TV, who signed a blockbuster streaming deal with the league in 2022, and for broadcaster Fox, who will also air the Dec. 7 match.

But the 37-year-old has more than proven his worth for the league and his team, experts say, at a vitally important time for the sport in North America, where the World Cup will be staged in 2026.

"Messi has been the type of boost that MLS has needed. The issue for MLS has been attracting stars at the end of their career," said Andrew Zimbalist, a professor at Smith College and co-author of National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Football.

"The special thing about Messi is that he is one of the top five soccer players of all time and even though he is now 37, he still can play, or at least have spurts of truly dominant soccer."

Messi expects Miami to be his final club, lending an air of urgency for fans who hope to catch a glimpse of one of the sport's all-time greats before his contract is set to expire at the end of next year.

Despite Saturday's setback, Messi and his Miami team mates will still compete in next year's expanded 32-team Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States.

The club co-owned by David Beckham were awarded a spot reserved for the host nation after they won the MLS Supporters Shield, which is given to the MLS side with the best regular game season.

The league announced last month an attendance record of more than 11 million fans across the regular season and Inter Miami told ESPN that they had nearly doubled their revenue since Messi signed in July last year.

Apple said that Messi's playoff debut was its most-streamed sporting event ever, while 72,610 fans packed into Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, when Miami came to town to play Sporting Kansas City in April.

It was the fourth-largest standalone crowd in the league's history, MLS said.

"Messi carries with him a different vibe than past superstars who made many fans feel as if they were embarking on a U.S. farewell tour of sorts," said David M. Carter, principal of the Sports Business Group and an adjunct professor for sports business at USC.

"Messi helped demonstrate to the world that MLS remains serious about improving its global credibility and competitiveness."

Lionel Messi struck a vintage hattrick as world champions Argentina romped to a 6-0 win over Bolivia in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old provided an emphatic reminder of his enduring quality with three clinical finishes, two assists and some of his trademark creativity throughout the game as Lionel Scaloni's side dominated.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Bolivian defender Marcelo Suarez was robbed by Lautaro Martinez, who sent Messi clear and he cleverly slotted into the bottom corner.

The home crowd at Buenos Aires' Monumental Stadium were on their feet again in the 43rd minute when Julian Alvarez threaded a brilliant pass through to Messi, who unselfishly squared the ball to Martinez to finish.

Three minutes later, Alvarez was on target himself when Bolivia were caught sleeping at a free-kick, Messi chipping the ball over the top and the Atletico Madrid forward slotted home.

After the break, Nicolas Otamendi had a header ruled out for offside but the home fans didn't have long to wait for the fourth when Thiago Almada side-footed home after a superb pull-back from Nahuel Molina.

A classic Messi goal made it 5-0 in the 84th -- the Inter Miami forward dribbling centrally before switching from his left foot to his right and burying the ball into the bottom corner.

Two minutes later and some fans were in tears after Messi cut in from the right, played a smart wall pass off substitute Nico Paz and again put the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra.

Argentina are top of the 10-team table with 22 points from ten games -- three points clear of second placed Colombia, who also enjoyed a handsome victory with a 4-0 crushing of Chile in Barranquilla.

- Colombians blank Chile -

There was a different look to the team, wearing a special retro white kit, marking the Colombian Football Federation's centenary, featuring the national flag's colours in a hoop.

It was a dashing design and the performance of Nestor Lorenzo's team was equally stylish as they took apart a woeful Chile side that remain rooted to bottom place in the ten-team qualifying group.

Defender Davinson Sanchez opened the scoring in the 34th minute, nodding home after Jhon Lucumi had headed a James Rodriguez corner goalwards.

Jhon Cordoba slotted home a Diaz cross in the 45th minute but the effort was ruled out for offside against Diaz.

Chile gifted the Colombians a second, seven minutes after the interval, when they attempted to play the ball out from the back and Benjamin Kusevic gave the ball away to Rodriguez, who squared to Liverpool winger Luis Diaz to convert.

Substitute Jhon Duran made it 3-0 in the 82nd minute after another giveaway, this time in midfield, allowed Sinisterra to break and then feed the Aston Villa forward, who made no mistake and Sinisterra then wrapped up the win in stoppage time.

Paraguay boosted their chances of grabbing one of the six automatic qualification spots after substitute Antonio Sanabria scored twice in a 2-1 win over Venezuela.

Full-back Jon Aramburu put Venezuela ahead in the 25th minute, bursting down the right and collecting a pass from Yeferson Soteldo that he buried in the bottom corner.

Torino striker Sanabria was introduced at the interval and he brought sixth-placed Paraguay level when he slid in to meet a low cross from Junior Alonso.

Sanabria then grabbed the winner in the 74th minute, leading a counter-attack before getting into the box to finish off the move with a header from close range.

Uruguay and Ecuador played out a goalless draw

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will feature in next year's expanded FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Saturday.

Messi and his team-mates will kick-off the tournament in the opening game at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, on Sunday, June 15, Infantino added.

The FIFA president was speaking on the field at Inter's Chase Stadium moments after Messi scored a hattrick as the team broke the MLS regular season points record with a 6-2 win over the New England Revolution.

Miami, who this month won Major League Soccer's Supporters' Shield for the best regular season record, will take the qualification slot designated for the host nation.

"Inter Miami qualifies as the host country representative team on the basis of the club's outstanding and consistent 34-match campaign that saw them secure the shield with two MLS matches to play," FIFA said in a statement.

The official champions of MLS are determined by the MLS Cup playoffs which begin next week and conclude with the final on December 7.

Miami are the favourites to win the playoffs but the FIFA decision to select the regular season winners ensures the involvement of the Argentine superstar.

The participation of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi is a much-needed boost to the profile of the new-look tournament, which FIFA hope will capture the imagination of the global television audience as well as fans in the United States ahead of the World Cup in 2026.

The competition could pit Messi against top European club opposition for the first time since he left Paris Saint Germain last year to move to Miami.

The 32-team tournament will feature title winning teams from each of FIFA's continental confederations.

Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are among the 12 European teams who have qualified for the tournament while Argentina's River Plate and Boca Juniors and Brazil's Flamengo are among six South American teams.

FIFA has yet to announce any broadcast deals or sponsorship contracts for the tournament and the competition has faced some opposition within the game.

Players union FIFpro and the European Leagues body filed a joint complaint to the European Commission against FIFA over the introduction of the tournament into the international match calendar.

Opponents of the new tournament have said it adds further congestion to an already crowded schedule and increases the workload of players.

The last version of the Club World Cup featured seven teams in a knockout format and was won by Manchester City who beat Brazil's Fluminense in the final in Saudi Arabia.

FIFA plan to hold the expanded tournament every four years although no host as yet to be chosen for the 2029 edition.

Argentina and Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has ruled out a future career in coaching.

During an interview with Fabrizio Romano for '433', Messi reflected on his future in football, where he also admitted he is unsure whether he will play in the 2026 World Cup.

While Lionel Messi continues to wind down the latter stages of his career, speculation swirls on what will happen once the legendary Argentine hangs up his boots.

On the topic of his future plans, he said: "I don't know what I would like to do after I retire. I wouldn't like to be a coach, but everything is not clear yet. I am someone who likes to live day by day so for now I just think about playing, training and having fun on the pitch."

After saying he doesn't know what his future holds, Messi did offer this subtle admission: "I like everything related to football. I like being with kids, teaching, and also maybe being a sporting director, but I don't know where I'm going to go."

When asked about World Cup 2026, Messi said: "I don't really know. I've been asked that a number of times, especially in Argentina. I hope to have a good end to the season and then a good pre-season, something I didn't have last season because of all the travelling we did. From there I want to see what happens, to see how I feel. A lot of things always happen in football. There's still a long way to go, so I don't think about it too much. I'm going to live day by day without thinking too much about the future."