The second of those defeats, against Chile on penalties, broke him. Messi retired, if only briefly. “The national team is over for me,” he said. It was not over, though. He came back, and the story slowly changed.
Lionel Scaloni built a team around his captain without leaning on him entirely. He surrounded the ageing number 10 with energy, drive and collective commitment, and those qualities let his genius flourish.
Everything turned at the Copa América 2021. Argentina beat Brazil at the Maracanã, and Messi had his first major international title with the senior side.
The report continued: “Then came the World Cup 18 months later. Messi was superb in Qatar, delivering goals, decisive assists and moments of inspiration, as Argentina recovered from a shocking defeat in their opening match against Saudi Arabia to reach the final. He scored twice against France, before scoring in the penalty shootout, to finally lift the trophy that had become the missing piece in his case to stand alongside, or above, the greatest players in football. And for Argentina, this triumph completed Messi’s transformation too.”
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