Lionel Messi won the 2024 Copa America at the age of 37, but this is probably not the time for the former Barcelona player to retire from the national team.
Lionel Messi has yet to officially announce his retirement from international football or his retirement from football. However, the day Messi announces it will surely break millions of hearts.
Physical to the limit
On July 15, Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 in the final of the 2024 Copa America, but the most talked about thing was not Lautaro Martinez’s goal but Messi’s tears as the 37-year-old star sat on the bench with a swollen leg. That image immediately went viral on social media. Messi played for just over an hour before having to leave the field with an injury.
Messi’s withdrawal from the 2024 Copa America final is a regret for him and his fans. However, the image of Messi’s swollen leg says many things, one of which is that the 37-year-old star’s physical condition is gradually reaching its limit.
According to Marca ( Spain), Messi will be out for at least 1 month due to an ankle injury. Inter Miami coach Tata Martino will not have Messi in the next 2 matches against Toronto and Chicago Fire.
Meanwhile, Deborah King of The Los Angeles Times expressed concern about Messi’s ability to participate in the 2026 World Cup. Deborah King emphasized that Messi’s physical condition began to decline after years of playing at a high intensity.
According to statistics on Transfermarkt , Lionel Messi was out for 57 days with 6 injuries in the 2023/24 season, missing a total of 17 matches for the Argentina national team as well as Inter Miami. The frequency of Messi’s injuries, especially calf injuries, has increased significantly as the Argentine star enters the twilight of his career.
In Argentina’s second match in the group stage against Chile at Copa America 2024, Messi felt pain in the adductor muscle of his right leg and then did not play in the final match against Peru in the group stage.
Messi played in the quarter-finals against Ecuador but did not have any assists or goals. This was also the match where Messi missed a penalty kick.
Messi’s best match at Copa America 2024 was the semi-final against Canada, when the 37-year-old star scored 1 goal and that was also his only goal at this Copa America.
In the final, Messi sprained his right ankle while competing for the ball with Colombian defender Santiago Arias in the first half. Although Messi tried to continue playing in the second half, coach Lionel Scaloni decided to take Messi off and put Nicolas Gonzalez on the field in the 64th minute. With a swollen ankle, the Argentine captain was hesitant to celebrate the 2024 Copa America championship with his teammates.
Can’t stop yet
The tournament in the US is Di Maria’s (36 years old) farewell to the Argentina team. In addition, other older players such as Nicolás Otamendi (36) and goalkeeper Franco Armani (37) may retire from the national team in the near future.
If Messi retires from the national team like Di Maria or retires at this time, it is normal. He has reached the peak of his fame, winning all the titles possible in his career. Messi even surpassed Dani Alves to become the player with the most titles (45).
If Messi leaves the national team like Di Maria, Argentina fans will be very sorry, but coach Lionel Scaloni still has a squad of quality players with an average age of 28, capable of helping the Tango team defend their World Cup title in 2 years.
It should be remembered that when Messi left the field in the second half, Argentina still beat Colombia to win the title. That is proof that Argentina can play well and is no longer too dependent on Messi. Meanwhile, no one can predict whether Messi will be physically fit enough to play in the 2026 World Cup.
However, Messi’s contributions to the Argentina national team beyond his professional skills are undeniable. He is still the leader who motivates and unites the Argentine players in the dressing room. If Messi retires at this time, there will be a big hole in the Argentina national team that Scaloni will find difficult to fill.
Currently, Messi, like Ronaldo, is showing signs of aging but has not yet retired from the national team. Both still attract attention every time they appear on the pitch and their influence is still huge even though they are no longer at their peak. Ronaldo just had a forgettable EURO 2024 when he failed to score a goal and the Portuguese team was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
After a disappointing tournament and at the age of 39, Ronaldo has not officially announced his retirement. Messi is in a similar situation.
In an interview with DSPORTS a few days ago, Messi stated: “I enjoy playing with the national team now. I will continue playing until I feel I can’t do anything more. In this Copa America, I was playing well but the injury made me change my plans. It was not like what I expected or wanted.”
Copa America 2024 cannot be the end for Lionel Messi and his fans. Messi cannot fight against time but at least he can delay the day he says goodbye to the national team. The same goes for Ronaldo. There may be another race between these two stars, which is who will continue to stick with football longer.
