Buenos Aires, Argentina — Sad but true, Copa America could mark Lionel Messi’s final chapter with Argentine football team.
O World Cup winner he will turn 37 during the tournament in the United States, which begins Thursday. He has clearly passed his peak at Inter Miami after two decades playing at the highest level in Europe.
Messi has not set a date for his retirement and has kept the door open to playing in his sixth World Cup in 2026 to defend his Qatari title. But he already recognizes his shortcomings.
“I still don’t think about it. The moment I feel that I am not going to help my team, I will retire,” Messi said in March, in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Riyad Season. “I always ate well, I trained. But as I grew up, I became aware that the physical effort we make is increasingly difficult. As we get older, things get more difficult.”
Last year, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner battled muscle injuries while playing in MLS and for Argentina. That hasn’t changed much in 2024.
Messi showed that he enjoys going out at night with his wife, Antonella, and his friends in Miami. He spends time with his three children, starts new businesses and lives as if football is slowly becoming a smaller part of his life.
Still, he has 12 goals and 13 assists for Inter Miami this season.
“I’m having fun at the club. I’m lucky to have teammates and friends (Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, all former Barcelona players) by my side,” Messi told ESPN. “I have a good time in the national team, where I have teammates and friends too. And I like the little details that I know when I don’t play anymore I’ll miss.”
Ángel di Maria, a 36-year-old winger who has played alongside Messi in the national team for years, will certainly say goodbye to international football after the Copa América. It also raised more questions about whether the team’s biggest star will remain on the roster.
“As long as I feel like I’m good and can continue contributing, I’ll do that. Today I only think about getting to the Copa América well and being able to compete in it,” Messi said on the Star Plus platform in December. “Fighting for it again, like we always did, trying to be champions.”
Argentina’s all-time top scorer and leader of the team with 26 World Cup appearances is also seeking records in continental competition.
Messi, who won the South American championship in 2021, he wants to be the top scorer in the Copa América. He has 13 goals in six editions, four behind Norberto Méndez, from Argentina, and Zizinho, from Brazil, with 17.
He also wants to be the player with the most appearances in the Copa América, a record he currently shares with former Chilean goalkeeper Sergio Livingston, both with 34 appearances.
Messi’s teammates don’t want to see him go.
“We’ll see how long, but while he’s here we’ll make the most of it,” said Argentine defender Cristian Romero. “We grew up watching him. We are part of these tournaments.”
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