Fellow football fanatics, we’ve been warned. And so, we must turn our attention from Euros to their less famous cousins on the other side of the Atlantic. Lionel Messi has said, the end is near.
It wasn’t a bombshell, but rather a gentle reminder of the obvious — that even he won’t stick around forever.
It’s only a matter of time now before the final trademark mazy run. Before the final line-splitting stab pass. Before the final feint of the ball. Before the final nutmeg. Before the final slick touch. Before the final free kick curled in the top bin. And before the final oohs and aahs.
The nudge – without a date on it – comes ahead of Argentina’s Copa America campaign. It was the competition that set Messi and Co on their way to the big prize, wasn’t it? Cast your minds back to the summer of 2021. It was the manner in which Argentina scraped through in the semis and the final that gave the first sign — this was a much more dogged national team than the ones that Messi had featured in the past.
Messi himself, came across as a much more vocal captain, overcoming a particular complaint pundits had against him in the past.
“He’s not a leader,” Diego Maradona had fired the shots himself following the 2018 World Cup exit. “He’s another Messi when he plays for Argentina.”
If only he was around to drink in the Messi in the Albiceleste 10 that summer. When he jumped and pumped his fists from the halfway line to yell at Yerry Mina after his miss in the penalty shootout: “Dance now! Dance now, huh! Come on, dance!”
Or when “he lost his mind”, per Angel Di Maria, in his goosebumps-inducing pre-final dressing room speech. When had we ever seen this version of Messi before? One closer to Maradona than himself. One who got the job done. But can he do his predecessor one better?
Argentina sits on an opportunity few teams have had in the past, and one even fewer have succeeded in nabbing – a successful title defence.
A new plan
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said on the eve of the tournament that he had “renewed ideas and strength” to defend the title.
Soccer Football – Copa America 2024 – Argentina training – Kennesaw University State Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, United States – June 19, 2024 Argentina’s Lionel Messi during training with coach Lionel Scaloni REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
This, after he’d been poked on whether the team had plans in place for a future without Messi and Angel Di Maria – the two most experienced players in the team. While the team that won the double was quintessentially built around Messi, it is critical to note Di Maria’s value within the system. He was, after all, a goal-scorer in both finals.
Scaloni may have brushed aside the question for now – as has Messi – but it remains an important one for the team to answer sooner rather than later in the new cycle. Whether he makes it to 2026 or not, Messi is only likely to remain the man to orchestrate the play as long as he’s around.
But as he continues to cut down on his runs and walk more – a growing feature of his game in recent years – there is bound to be an increase in the expectations from the younger supporting cast. The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez, and Alexis Mac Allister, all of whom have had a tough time getting used to the Premier League for different reasons, will have to cover even more yards to enable the attacking play.
A familiar turf
There has seldom been a place where the Albiceleste don’t find support in numbers. The United States though, is as good as any to lend them a clear-cut 12th man advantage.
I can safely say I’ve never seen anything quite like this.
Moments after Argentina arrives at their hotel, fans have shut down an entire downtown intersection. pic.twitter.com/QnqEPPPkMC
— Josh Kim📸 (@joshkim_) June 20, 2024
Since his arrival to the States last summer, Messi has established himself in the country’s pop culture, let alone the sports scene. One moment he pops up in a Super Bowl commercial, the next he’s promoting the new Bad Boys film with Will Smith.
In Washington ahead of a friendly, thousands gathered outside the team hotel, wearing the fabled sky blue-white Argentine shirt – the majority of them flashing 10. Just as they did in Atalanta ahead of their opening game on Friday.
For now, Scaloni and the rest of Argentina can breathe easy, Messi is there to make them favorites for a title defence.
