The 2024 Copa America championship will be the perfect ending, closing an era of success but with many low notes for Lionel Messi in the Argentina team shirt.
With a 2-0 victory over Canada in the semi-finals, Argentina has appeared in the Copa America final for the second time in a row. Notably, this is the 6th final after the last 8 major tournaments that the Albiceleste has participated in since the 2014 World Cup. Previously, superstar Lionel Messi was always the most prominent playing factor. However, the Albiceleste’s journey to the 2024 Copa America final no longer bears the personal imprint of the 37-year-old captain.
Persistent injuries to the groin muscle and age factors have caused the Inter Miami striker to have only 1 goal and 1 assist since the beginning of the tournament. Instead, Argentina advanced to the final thanks to their collective strength, with Messi as one of the pieces. This shows that the era of Messi and other stars Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi at the Albiceleste is gradually coming to an end.
“This could be one of the last matches of my career. It’s not easy to get to the finals again. Therefore, my team and I are enjoying every moment to the fullest.
The current group of players have shown great qualities to appear in the Copa America final once again. This is a difficult tournament, with extreme temperatures and weather. However, the whole team overcame it together and is trying to maintain that success,” Messi shared after the 2-0 win over Canada in the semi-finals.
Throughout his career at the top level, winning titles with Argentina has always been an obsession for Leo Messi. The pressure after the failures at the 2014 World Cup to the 2015, 2016, 2019 Copa America even made the striker born in 1987 intend to retire from his international career. The psychological burdens keep Messi and his teammates in a state of fatigue and tension due to psychological pressure every time they join the team.
Messi has not left a strong mark on Argentina’s journey to the 2024 Copa America final. Photo: Argentine Football Federation
However, everything has changed since Lionel Scaloni officially took the coaching chair. From the 2021 Copa America to the 2022 World Cup, the Albiceleste became a true team, with Leo Messi as the inspiration and brightest star. At Copa America 2024, when Messi is affected by the weight of age and injury, the satellites around him always know how to shine and share responsibility with the captain.
When Messi was closely marked by the opponent, Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez showed sharp goal-scoring instincts to help the “Tango dancers” continue. In the quarterfinals against Ecuador, when Messi missed a penalty kick, excellence by Emiliano Martinez helped Argentina overcome the crucial penalty shootout. The depth of the force in Argentina’s lines not only raised the bar, it also helped Messi play sublimated despite being 37 years old.
Emiliano Martinez’s excellence helped Messi avoid becoming a criminal on penalties. Photo: Argentine Football Federation
After 19 years of wearing the blue and white striped shirt, the day the 37th captain said goodbye to the Albiceleste is approaching. The 2024 Copa America championship will be the perfect ending to close Messi’s era with Argentina, at the very place where the superstar born in 1987 said goodbye in 2016.