Lionel Messi's retirement from international football this week closed the book on a career that stands as Argentina's greatest, but the story very nearly finished a decade earlier under vastly different circumstances.
Messi departs as Argentina's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 125 goals in 207 appearances. He led the nation to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022 and to Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024, cementing a legacy that few could have predicted after a tearful night in New Jersey in June 2016.
After missing a penalty as Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile on penalties, a 29-year-old Messi announced he was walking away from the national team for good. "For me, the national team is over. I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion," he said at the time, visibly emotional after a fourth final defeat in three years. "It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn't get it, so I think it's over. I think this is best for everyone."
At that point, Messi's international trophy cabinet contained only Olympic gold from 2008, despite his status as one of the finest players of his generation with Barcelona. Comparisons to Diego Maradona weighed heavily on him. Maradona himself had been dismissive of Messi's leadership just weeks before the announcement, saying he "lacks the character to be a leader" and had "no personality," despite Messi's already glittering club career including eight La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.
Biographer Guillem Balague explained that the pressure of captaincy and the constant Maradona comparisons had pushed Messi to the brink before, noting that Argentine critics had branded him "Pecho Frio" — cold chest — suggesting he lacked the passion to succeed for his country. According to Balague, the 2016 announcement was actually the third time Messi had privately considered quitting, but the first made public.
The reaction in Argentina was immediate and overwhelming. Team-mates pleaded publicly for a reversal, with goalkeeper Sergio Romero saying he could not imagine a national side without him. The hashtag #NoTeVayasMessi trailed across social media more than 20,000 times within a day. President Mauricio Macri personally phoned Messi to urge him to reconsider, while the mayor of Buenos Aires unveiled a statue in his honour and appealed directly for him to stay. Even Maradona reversed course, insisting Messi needed to lead the team into the 2018 World Cup.
Within six weeks, new coach Edgardo Bauza travelled to Barcelona to convince Messi to return. On 12 August 2016, Messi announced he would play on "for the love of the country," thanking supporters for their outpouring of affection.
Success did not arrive instantly — Argentina exited the 2018 World Cup in the last 16 against France, and Messi did not win a major senior trophy until turning 34. But once the breakthrough came, it arrived in a flood: four titles in three years, capped by the 2022 World Cup triumph and continuing through this year's tournament, where Messi contributed eight goals and four assists before Argentina fell to Spain in the final — fittingly, at the same MetLife Stadium where his international career nearly ended a decade before.
Argentine supporter Benjamin, who witnessed both the 2016 Copa America final and this year's World Cup final at the same venue, reflected on the emotional arc of Messi's journey. "When Messi retired it reminded us all how much we loved him," he said. "When I heard him retire, I cried, the country cried... Without Lionel Messi, Argentina would still be waiting for their next World Cup since 1986."
Messi's future was further clouded by the death of his father just weeks after this year's final, and at 39, a return to the national team appears highly unlikely. Still, South American football writer Tim Vickery suggested the Argentine federation may look to organize an official farewell match in Buenos Aires once the team's current punishment for World Cup conduct — which limits home crowds to 50% capacity — has run its course.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.