Heartbroken Lionel Messi was just less lucky than Maradona
The Argentine ace retires from international football without a winner's medal after a fourth major final defeat
After missing a penalty in the decisive shoot-out that saw Chile beat Argentina in the Copa America, the pain of a fourth major final defeat proved too much for Lionel Messi to bear. In the wake of yet another heartbreak for the Albiceleste, the 29-year-old announced his international retirement.
Messi took Argentina's first penalty of the shoot-out after Arturo Vidal had missed for Chile, but his effort flew over the bar.
Lucas Biglia also missed as Chile retained the title they won a year ago. The defeat left Messi with a fourth runners-up medal to add to his collection from the 2007 and 2015 Copa Americas and the 2014 World Cup.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"It was not supposed to end like this. Not in a cramped corridor at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with an unwanted runners-up medal in his wash bag," says Jonathan Liew of the Daily Telegraph. "But four defeats in major finals over the course of a decade have finally broken his heart. Messi's love affair with the national team is over."
His decision has reopened the debate over his loyalty to Argentina, the country he left at the age of 13 to play for Barcelona.
"There are those in Argentina who claim that Messi’s devotion to the national team has never matched his devotion to Barcelona, and after this decision those same voices are emerging again," says Liew.
It is an idea that has been rejected by Messi's team-mates, but his relationship with his national side remains complex," says the writer.
"Argentina accepted Messi as long as he kept winning them football games; Messi accepted Argentina through a sense of filial duty and as a chance to cement his legend. And so it was always a relationship contingent on results: as Messi inspired Argentina to the World Cup Final two years ago, the fans sang his name, worshipped him as a saviour. When Argentina failed, Messi was more often than not lumped with the blame."
It was never the easiest of relationships. Tim Vickery of the BBC notes that Messi had voiced dissatisfaction with the Argentine FA during the tournament, and it is an organisation that remains in "disarray" following the death of Julio Grondona after 35 years as chairman in 2014.
Announcing his retirement Messi spoke of his "sadness", and that is all he ever got from Argentina, says Rory Smith of The Times.
Now it appears that Messi will end his career without a major international honour to his name. "To some, that would leave an asterisk next to his career and means that he will never quite be regarded as the equal of Pele and Diego Maradona, the two finest in history, both of whom shone at more than one World Cup," says Smith.
But times have changed. "The Champions League has replaced the World Cup as the ultimate test in football, its very highest level; that the elite club game is a level above and beyond its international equivalent has been proved, amply, in France over the last two weeks or so," he adds.
"Messi will retire from international football without a trophy to his name. He has, though, four Champions League medals to make up for it, [with] silver and gold acquired by overcoming the best teams and the best players in the world. That he has not won a World Cup does not diminish him and all that he has done. It is, simply, a huge sadness."
Messi is also unlucky compared to Maradona, says Vickery of the BBC. Had Jorge Burruchaga not scored in the 1986 World Cup final "then maybe the star of Maradona would not shine quite so brightly in Argentina", he says.
Conversely Gonzalo Higuain has wasted glorious opportunities to score in each of the past three finals Argentina have lost. "But had Higuain taken his chances, then Messi would now be swimming in international titles, and no one would dare to doubt his place among the greatest of all time."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Giant TVs are becoming the next big retail commodity
Under the Radar Some manufacturers are introducing TVs over 8 feet long
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?
The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
The European Super League: a 90th-minute reprieve?
Why everyone's talking about A European court ruling has potentially breathed new life into the breakaway football league
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
A tale of ‘two World Cups’: Messi, Mbappé and ‘money well spent’ for Qatar
feature Amid sportswashing and human rights concerns, Qatar 2022 ended with the perfect final
By Mike Starling Published
-
2022 World Cup final: Argentina vs. France prediction, preview, team news
feature Mbappé and Messi will go for glory, the golden boot, golden ball, and PSG bragging rights
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
2022 World Cup final: Lionel Messi’s last chance to emulate Diego Maradona
Talking Point Argentina captain is one win away from achieving the ultimate dream
By Mike Starling Published
-
Lionel Messi’s World Cup dream: it really is ‘now or never’ for Argentina’s captain
feature After lifting the Copa América in 2021, can he finally add a World Cup winners’ medal to his trophy cabinet?
By Mike Starling Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: all-time number of goals, career stats and awards
In Depth Portugal star scores 900th career goal but both are facing the challenges of passing time
By Mike Starling, The Week UK Last updated
-
Lionel Messi on PSG, Neymar and winning the Champions League
feature What the Argentine superstar said at his first press conference in Paris
By The Week Staff Published
-
Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona: how the football world reacted to the ‘seismic’ news
feature ‘Financial and structural obstacles’ scupper Argentine’s new deal with cash-strapped Catalans
By Mike Starling Published