Lionel Messi’s defining Argentina moments as he prepares for what could be his final World Cup | Football News

As Lionel Messi prepares for what he says might be his final World Cup, we have a look at the highs and lows of his Argentina profession…

Sent off on debut

By the time Messi made his Argentina debut, the hype round this thrilling teenage expertise was surging. After opting for Argentina over Spain, he had shone for the U20s, scoring twice within the U20 World Cup final in July 2005, and earned his first senior cap in an August pleasant that yr towards Hungary as an 18-year-old. It led to tears. Literally.

Sent on as a second-half sub, Messi was solely on the sector for a few minutes earlier than he flung his arm at Vilmos Vanczak. The defender had grabbed a clump of Messi’s shirt as he darted previous and the little ahead had barely caught his opponent as he tried to interrupt free. But whereas it was a yellow for the Hungarian, the referee brandished a purple card at Messi. He was later discovered crying within the dressing room, or so the story goes.

For all of Messi’s prodigious capability, this was maybe a symbolic second hinting on the frustrations and obstacles Messi would later face on the worldwide stage. Just like his debut, his worldwide profession hasn’t panned out fairly how he would have dreamed it…

Olympic Games glory

For all the frustration in Argentina colors, Messi does no less than have an Olympic gold medal in his possession. In 2008, with Messi already a key participant for Barcelona, he had initially been barred from enjoying in Beijing by his membership as the match clashed with Champions League qualifiers. Fortunately for Messi and Argentina, new Barca boss Pep Guardiola noticed it in another way.

Guardiola, an Olympic champion himself, knew the significance of the competitors to Messi and his countrymen and permitted him to go. Messi seized the possibility – and the match, enjoying a key position in Argentina’s progress to the final, the place he arrange the one objective of the sport towards Nigeria. It is a victory he treasures.

“The Olympic gold in 2008 is the win that I value the most,” he advised Spanish outlet Esquire. “It is a tournament that you may only play in once in your life and involves many athletes from different disciplines.”

World Cup 2014 final heartbreak

After no objectives however heaps of criticism in South Africa 2010, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil appeared the right stage for Messi to lastly lead Argentina to glory on the largest stage. Wearing the captain’s armband, he set about main from the entrance, scoring vital objectives in all three group video games.

Come the knockouts, he turned supplier, helping a late extra-time winner towards Switzerland and kicking off the transfer that led to the one objective of the sport towards Belgium. His assured penalty then set the tone within the semi-final shootout win over the Netherlands.

But come the final he could not encourage his team-mates to make the final step. “It’s very painful to lose in the manner that we did,” Messi stated after Mario Gotze’s extra-time winner grabbed Germany victory.

Messi was controversially awarded the Golden Ball as finest participant on the match. “The prize doesn’t interest me at all,” he stated, as he mirrored on Argentina’s defeat. The Golden Ball was his however the golden alternative to emulate Diego Maradona with a World Cup win had escaped Messi’s grasp.

More final defeats and short-lived retirement

“For me, the national team is over. I’ve done all I can,” stated a disconsolate Messi as he introduced his worldwide retirement after Argentina’s 2016 Copa America final defeat by Chile.

In a repeat of the 2015 Copa America final, Argentina had as soon as once more misplaced to their South American neighbours on penalties after a 0-0 stalemate. Messi had delivered at important moments in each competitions however after heartbreak within the 2007 version of the competitors and the earlier World Cup, his document in main finals reads: 4 finals, 4 defeats.

The disappointment had change into an excessive amount of.

Messi has so usually been the goal for criticism from the demanding Argentina supporters, however now they campaigned for him to alter his thoughts. It labored. Messi reversed his resolution and scored within the 1-0 win on his return, a World Cup qualifier towards Uruguay. Re-motivated for yet another tilt at main honours with his nation, Messi set his sights on Russia 2018.

Hat-trick hero units up one other World Cup shot

Despite working to the finals of the 2014 World Cup and 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas, Argentina had been in extreme hazard of lacking out on Russia 2018, frequently struggling setbacks through the prolonged South American qualifying marketing campaign. Would Argentina miss out for the primary time since 1970?

Not if Messi had something to do with it. The Argentina captain was at his sensible finest within the decisive conflict with Ecuador. Argentina had been behind with simply 38 seconds on the clock however Messi got here up with a match-winning hat-trick to safe the comeback win and e book a spot on the World Cup.

From the close-range opener to the edge-of-the-box drive and excellent solo third, it was a masterclass in performing underneath stress. “Luckily the nationality of the best player in the world is Argentinian,” stated boss Jorge Sampaoli. Unfortunately for Sampaoli, Argentina and the primary man himself, Messi was unable to haul a poor nationwide aspect to success in Russia.

Silverware lastly arrives

It will need to have felt like Groundhog Day when Argentina kicked off their 2019 Copa America marketing campaign with a dispiriting 2-0 defeat to Colombia, and it wanted a Messi penalty to rescue a 1-1 draw towards Paraguay of their second recreation too.

A routine win over visitor individuals Qatar took them by to the quarter-finals, even as Argentina noticed off Venezuela 2-0 on the Maracana in Brazil, Messi was criticised for his underwhelming performances and lack of objectives. “I am not playing my best Copa America or as I hoped to do,” he admitted afterwards.

His and Argentina’s timid efficiency within the final third continued as they had been overwhelmed 2-0 by hosts Brazil within the semi-finals, and although they rallied to seal third place, it was scant comfort with time working out for Messi to raise the trophy.

With the 2021 competitors with Messi on the cusp of his thirty fourth birthday, it actually felt like now or by no means. An opening-game objective to earn a draw with Chile felt like an early reply to his critics from two years earlier.

Argentina gained their group, with Messi on track twice extra and changing into Argentina’s highest-capped participant within the course of.

The information continued to tumble; after cruising previous Ecuador within the quarter-finals, Argentina took an early lead towards Colombia within the final 4 by Messi’s cut-back for Lautaro Martinez. That took him to 9 objective involvements within the competitors, matching his finest ever contribution at a global match.

That recreation would find yourself going to penalties however Messi held his nerve with his hopes of ever lifting the Copa America on the road – and so did his team-mates. Though he did not rating in Argentina’s win over Brazil within the final he was named participant of the match, having performed a component in 9 of their 12 objectives – and extra importantly, he lastly had some main silverware to name his personal.

“It was clear to me that I had to try until the last tournament and that I couldn’t withdraw from the national team without winning something,” he later advised Diario Sport. A yr later he would play an integral half in Argentina’s victory the inaugural Finalissima, beating Euro 2020 winners Italy 3-0.

That winners’ medal would pale into insignificance on his mantelpiece in comparison with that from the Copa America – however there nonetheless stays a World Cup-shaped hole able to outshine that too.