10 years after deciding to leave the Argentine national team in tears, Lionel Messi has closed his international journey with an legacy that exceeded all expectations.
Perhaps only Messi can create such a special story with the Argentine team. If his international career was once remembered for painful defeats, then the rest became the most glorious chapter, turning Messi from a star always compared to Diego Maradona into a symbol worshiped by the Argentine people.
The story begins from a sad night in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 10 years ago, Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa America final after a penalty shootout. Messi missed a penalty, burst into tears and announced his retirement from the national team at the age of 29.
That was Argentina's third consecutive major defeat in a final, after the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America. Messi at that time had 112 caps for the national team, scored 55 goals and had 37 assists. However, those numbers still could not help him escape the debate about his ability to conquer the title with Argentina.
Only about 6 weeks later, El Pulga changed his decision. Argentina is having difficulties in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers and he understands that the team needs him. "My love for the country and this shirt is too big" - Messi explained about his return.
This decision has completely changed the story of Messi in Argentina's colors.
In the second stage of his international career, especially when he turned 30, Messi not only continued to maintain his scoring ability but also became the true leader of the team. He successively won Copa America, Finalissima and the peak of the World Cup.
If Messi's first half of his international career is associated with failed finals, the second half is full of titles. Personal statistics also reflect his extraordinary nature in this period. After his first announcement of leaving the national team, Messi made 95 more appearances for Argentina, scoring 70 goals and assisting 31 times. Only 23 players in history have scored at least 70 goals for the national team.
More notably, El Pulga still maintains his scoring ability at an age when most legends have begun to reduce their appearances or say goodbye to the national team. Pele scored 77 goals in 92 matches for Brazil, Miroslav Klose had 71 goals in 137 matches for Germany, and Luis Suarez scored 69 goals in 143 appearances for Uruguay.
But those numbers still cannot tell the whole story about Messi.
His return is also a journey to seek recognition from the Argentine people themselves. For many years, Messi lived under the too big shadow of Maradona. Defeats with the national team caused him to be constantly put on the scale with his legendary predecessor.
After winning major titles, everything changed. Every time Messi wears the Argentine jersey becomes a special event. Tens of thousands of fans chanted his name, turning the team's matches into an occasion to honor their captain.
The special thing is that the ending point of the story returns to East Rutherford.
10 years ago, fans witnessed Messi bursting into tears after the defeat at Copa America. In the 2026 World Cup final at the same location, Argentina failed again and Messi shed tears again. But this time, those tears no longer carry the meaning of the obsession of failure. That is the moment that closes a journey that Messi has gone through all levels of emotions.
