Football has evolved over the years, but now things might turn a bit bizarre if robots started representing the countries in the World Cup. However, the scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, are trying to make it happen and have been working hard to create a sporty robot which is supposed to be better than Lionel Messi, who is arguably the greatest to play football. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner achieved his dream of winning the FIFA World Cup in 2022, but scientists are trying to replace him with robots.

The scientists have named a robot with a Messi connection – “a robot that exceeds Messi in soccer” – or ARTEMIS. The UCLA website also referred to it as ‘Advanced Robotic Technology for Enhanced Mobility and Improved Stability” However, it is the Messi connection which has grabbed the attention.

Meanwhile, they suggested that the robot has an incredible walking speed of 2.1 meters per second, which could cause havoc on the football field.

“During tests in the lab, ARTEMIS has been clocked walking 2.1 meters per second, which would make it the world’s fastest walking humanoid robot, according to the UCLA researchers. It is also believed to be the first humanoid robot designed in an academic setting that is capable of running, and only the third overall,” they asserted on the website.

They have decided to enter the ARTEMIS in the RoboCup, an international autonomous robot soccer competition. However, they don’t want to stop there only and have the aspirations of the robot to play in the World Cup by 2050.

Meanwhile, Messi, in an interview with renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano, stated that he has not decided whether he will be with the Argentine team at the next FIFA World Cup.

“I don’t know (if I will play in the 2026 World Cup), they ask me a lot, especially in Argentina. I hope to finish this year well, and start the year having a good preseason, which I didn’t have last year due to all the trips we had,” he said.