The end of Lionel Messi’s Argentina story: How a player once called a failure became the nation’s leader | Football News

An era has truly ended. The Argentina football team will not be the same without Lionel Messi. Diego Maradona made them a great footballing nation, but the country then had to wait decades for another player of his stature. Messi went beyond what Maradona achieved with Argentina. Debates will continue to swirl around the two players and their abilities, with opinions divided. But purely in terms of achievements, longevity and the legacy he has left behind, Messi has left them all behind. Few footballers can match what he brought to the table.Messi’s legacy with Argentina was much bigger than the 126 goals he scored. The tears in the eyes of coach Lionel Scaloni, Enzo Fernandez and other Argentine players during his farewell speech reflected the respect they had for their leader. Messi’s teammates were willing to fight until their last breath for him and for the team. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner acknowledged it in his farewell speech: “Every time we stepped onto the pitch, I knew we could compete against anyone. I felt I had warriors beside me who were willing to leave absolutely everything out there.”A player criticised early in his career for lacking leadership eventually became the leader who united a nation and guided younger players to win the World Cup. Everyone who played with Messi held him in the highest regard. Those of his generation never tired of calling him the greatest of all time. Younger players saw in him a role model who could deliver results for his team, inspiring them to push themselves to the limit to meet their captain’s expectations. Messi walks away with a World Cup, two Copa America titles, an Olympic gold medal and the Finalissima. Six years ago, however, the picture was completely different. He was constantly labelled an international failure despite taking Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final and several Copa America finals. Winning an international trophy was the one thing Messi was repeatedly told he lacked. He answered those critics emphatically. And now, he retires having completed his football career and, for many, finally settled the GOAT debate.Also Read - Lionel Messi remembers father in emotional Argentina farewell, calls teammates ‘warriors’: ‘I never stopped fighting’Messi’s redemption arc like no otherHis journey began with several heartbreaks before his redemption arc eventually took shape. The 2014 World Cup final was perhaps the first real heartbreak of Messi’s international career. He came agonisingly close to achieving the one dream that had always remained out of reach, only to watch it slip away in the end. The next two years were even tougher. Argentina suffered back-to-back defeats in the Copa America finals, and the impact of those losses, along with the constant scrutiny of his international record, took toll. Branded by many as an international failure despite repeatedly taking Argentina to some of the biggest finals, Messi announced his retirement from international football in 2016, before overturning it a few months later.Argentina’s Round of 16 exit at the 2018 World Cup was believed to be the final nail in the coffin, but Messi had plans to flip the narrative. He took the 2021 Copa America, followed by ultimate glory at the 2022 World Cup. Yet, Messi didn’t stop there, clinching another Copa America title. By the time the 2026 World Cup came knocking, not many expected Messi to reproduce the magic of his prime, but he proved his naysayers wrong and showed why age never mattered to him.Messi put together a World Cup campaign to remember, reminding everyone that as long as he is on the pitch, he remains the man to beat. With eight goals and four assists in seven matches, Messi finished just behind Kylian Mbappe in the tournament’s scoring charts. Even though Argentina missed out on back-to-back World Cup titles, Messi closed a chapter in which, as a leader, he brought glory back to a football-frenzy nation, guided the younger generation and carved a path for the next generation of players to carry the mantle forward.