The Argentine has now won three major international titles in three years, but it's clear that his body is starting to betray him
Whether it's been knowing the exact split-second to play a perfectly-weighted pass through to a team-mate, or arriving right on cue to convert a cut-back from Jordi Alba, Lionel Messi has always demonstrated an impeccable sense of timing throughout his playing career.
It, thus, came as something of a surprise when he decided against retiring from international football after the 2022 World Cup. Messi had just completed 'The Beautiful Game' in Qatar, removing all doubt over his status as the greatest player in history by inspiring Argentina with one dazzling display of his genius after another. After suffering so much misery with the Albiceleste, he had achieved the happiest of endings.
Messi wasn't done, though. Having won a Copa America and then the World Cup, the pressure was finally off. The man left so traumatised by three consecutive tournament final defeats with Argentina was now having so much fun with the Albiceleste that he didn't want to walk away. He'd experienced the ultimate moment of glory; now he intended to bask in it.
"I love football, and what I do," he explained. "I enjoy being part of the national team, the group. I would like to enjoy a couple more matches as a world champion."
He's done far more than that.
GettyOne more World Cup?…
On Sunday, some 18 months after his GOAT coronation in Qatar, Messi made more history, leading Argentina to a second consecutive Copa America triumph. A man once ridiculed for his supposed lack of leadership skills and an alleged inability to reproduce his club form for his country will now go down as one of the most successful captains the international game has ever seen. He's also become the most decorated player of all time, with 45 trophies. Will he try for one more, though?
Messi has just turned 37, but the next World Cup is only two years away. At 39, he'd hardly be the oldest player ever to feature at the finals, and it's clear that there's still some magic left in that left boot.
Truth be told, though, it would be a mistake for Messi to continue until 2026. His legacy may already be secure – but why risk tarnishing it? Why even put himself in a position where he might end up looking as foolish as Cristiano Ronaldo?
AdvertisementGetty ImagesProblem for Portugal
Messi and Ronaldo are obviously completely different characters; that's been evident throughout their stellar careers. But they both clearly have an insatiable thirst for success. It's part of the reason why they've been so successful.
However, Ronaldo's relentlessness has long since become a problem for Portugal. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been blinded by his unwavering self-belief in his own abilities.
It was obvious to everyone else that he should have just stayed in Saudi Arabia after his calamitous World Cup campaign in Qatar, but, evidently, not a single member of his entourage advised him to walk away and he ended up starring in another sh*tshow in Germany this summer.
Getty Images'Crying Cristiano'
Roberto Martinez must take a significant share of the blame here, for indulging his superstar striker to such a ludicrous degree. The spineless Spaniard essentially put the interest of one individual ahead of the team – and his cowardice cost the an incredibly talented Seleccao a glorious shot at victory, with Ronaldo enduring a historically bad Euros as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by an awful France team, with Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos joined on the bench by Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao by the end of the game.
However, Ronaldo's unwillingness to bring the curtain down on his career after Qatar – or even just accept a supporting role in Germany – left him wide open to the criticism and mockery that followed. By the end of the tournament, one of the most prolific players of all time had become a laughing stock, with 'Crying Cristiano' the subject of a million mean-spirited memes.
No true football fan wants to see such a fate befall Messi.
Getty Images'Lions who fight for Messi'
While seeing Ronaldo embarrass himself at the Euros was terribly tough to watch (he's a legend of the game after all), it was utterly unsurprising to see him so stubbornly refuse to admit defeat in the always futile battle with Father Time. He may be a serial winner, but he's always been a terrible loser. Furthermore, in Ronaldo's eyes, the game is only really about glory of the personal variety, so it was inevitable that Portugal's campaign would become all about their self-absorbed skipper.
Messi, for all his individual excellence and talismanic qualities, is a team player. Like Ronaldo, he has also always dominated the narrative around his national team for nearly two decades, but it's telling that each and every one of his team-mates was privately and publicly pleading with the No.10 to continue after the World Cup.
Emiliano Martinez famously described the players as "lions who fight for Messi" and, as Julian Alvarez admitted ahead of the Copa America, the entire squad was delighted to still have their beloved captain on board because he just makes everything "better".