Messi’s international career comes full circle, ten years after he retired from Argentina

NEW YORK – Everyone who has been in the game long enough has a Lionel Messi story, usually one where they are on the losing side of some brilliant act from one of the game’s most successful players, a story that is always told in a somewhat lighthearted tone.

“Let me share something funny with you,” Spain Head coach Luis de la Fuente said on Friday, two days before he was given the no-nonsense job In Argentinathe captain of the World Cup finals. “Speaking of Messi, I met Messi when I was in Sevilla and we played a Copa del Rey game which was Sevilla against Barcelona,​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​front-line, we went to Barcelona, ​​​​​​

This is the undeniable legacy of the sports hero, an inescapable wave that wears down all opponents regardless of the game plan. It’s only fitting that his World Cup debut comes with a major prize on the line, all while competing to continue making history as the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer. Messi’s run over the last few years has been so bad that his status as a star is already on the line with or without a winner’s medal on Sunday. He led Argentina to two Copa America titles and a World Cup in the past five years and could become the first member of the team to win back-to-back World Cups since. Brazil he did it in the 1970s.

It sounds like a fever dream that 10 years ago, in the building where he could have lifted another World Cup title on Sunday, he left it like that.

Before he finally won the awards that should come with the stars, Messi was a lucky leader who always failed in the colors of Argentina. The weight of a soccer-focused nation, hoping to win its first major trophy since 1993 at the Copa America, rests heavily on his shoulders. His chances come and go, too – he has four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona under his belt in the past decade, as well as two trips to the Copa America final and one of the 2014 World Cup finals without a trophy.

His Argentina team also failed in the Copa America final in 2016 at the MetLife Stadium in the New York area, this time after a 0-0 draw with Chile that was decided on penalties where Messi missed. The pressure had finally gotten to him.

“My thinking right now and thinking about it in the locker room, I’m done playing with the national team,” he said at the time. “I tried my best. It’s been four finals, I couldn’t win. I tried my best. It’s painful for me to surpass everyone, but it’s clear that this is not for me. I want to surpass everyone for the title and the national team, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”

It was a rare concession from a professional athlete, let alone Messi’s stature. What followed was her version of a midlife crisis — she went from a single tattoo sleeve on her left arm to full-body ink and, for a time, rocked the bleach blonde locks that once looked good on US women’s national team player Megan Rapinoe, no matter how many other professional soccer players tried it. The international retirement came to an abrupt end, and Messi is back in Argentina’s lineup and has played in three World Cups since then, including this one.

There was a sinking feeling that came with Messi’s announcement ten years ago, a time forgotten given the things he has achieved since then. It only added to the amount of emotion Messi carried with him on Sunday, despite the burdens of Father Time. Now he is in the middle, doing that and captaining a team that has become World Cup villains, scoring a flurry of late goals to win when defeat seemed certain. Certain refereeing decisions have helped along the way, with the Albiceleste bringing real chaos to a World Cup exit where Spain was not only the image of consistency but boasted a calm, unassuming attitude. There is almost no reason to remove Messi outside of Argentina, where he is understandably a national icon of a different kind.

Still, it’s hard to look away. At 39, he is well and truly past his prime and not perfect – a series of missed penalties at this World Cup has added a small amount of humor to the fact that he is still tied in the golden boot race with Kylian Mbappe with eight goals. Messi is the one who is tired and the person is not tired because somehow he is able to postpone things if he is not suitable. If de la Fuente’s story about the young Messi is impressive, it provides a stark reminder that Messi managed something similar on Wednesday in Atlanta.

“For many, I thought we did very well,” England’s Dan Burn said after their 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat, conceding a 1-0 lead in the 85th minute and exiting the competition before the final whistle. “That probably shows the quality of the player he is, when you can keep him quiet for most of the game and he comes up with two assists.”

He constantly offers reminders that as basic as it is to see a top-level athlete do terrible things, there is nothing normal about it no matter how much one might expect.

“Being able to reach the finals at the age of 39, I think it’s unbelievable, that’s why I say we should be happy for him,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni on Friday. “Like what happened to Diego Maradona, we miss him but Messi is still with us, so we have to promote what he is doing.

MetLife Stadium is not exactly Messi’s cursed ground – he has been on the winning side many times since, most recently in the semi-finals of the Copa America two years ago, days before they won the title. There is almost no reason to expect that change even in defeat, because the loss will have little effect on the memories of those who watched him years ago will boast. The fact that the lowest level of his career in Argentina happened is just a reminder that the achievements that came in the latter part of his career are also achievements in themselves. Messi’s legend grew as he grew, until he entered the 2022 World Cup with only six goals in the tournament and is now on his way to 21.

“Together with this group of people who brought us these wonderful years, we will always remember that Argentine footballers can be successful,” said Scaloni, “but it is very difficult to do this to achieve things that were unthinkable back then and I said that yesterday. I told them they did something incredible and I am forever grateful. I will thank my staff and I will thank them very much.”

This World Cup was actually an opportunity for Messi to win, the pressure to represent Argentina is turning into luck in full. He played freely and, even on imperfect days, still left his mark. He and his colleagues, most of whom have raised the World Cup Qatar in 2022, he will be tempted to do it again on Sunday but Messi’s last glimpse on the sport’s biggest stage is perhaps the biggest triumph of all.

“It was not easy to get to this stage of the World Cup and I have competed for many years at this level so I think this was a good thing, an amazing thing and you can win,” said Scaloni. “I hope we win but if we don’t win, I think this trip was incredible and an example for everyone. I hope it will help our people, our country.”