So close, yet so far. For more than two decades, Argentine fans have been waiting for their beloved team to lift an international trophy. However, it seems as though luck has bereaved them as they lost yet another final of an international tournament. This time the Copa America.
Lionel Messi is dubbed as one of the greatest players of all time. He has won it all. Be it silverware with Barcelona or individual accolades—he has more trophies at home than an average South Asian home has plates and glasses.
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However, in the international scene, he have never had the privilege to lift a major trophy. To make matters worse, he has actually played in four finals with the national team and has lost all of them. The first time was in the 2007 Copa America, then came the heartbreaking defeat against Germany in the 2014 World Cup followed by back-to-back Copa America final defeats to Chile.
With this, Lionel Messi thinks he has had enough and has decided to call it quits with Argentina. So, here we are, reminiscing some stats, facts, and trivia of the great man…
- His international debut in 2005 lasted only 47 seconds as he was sent off after being brought on as a substitute.
- Lionel Messi could have been the most successful player in the history of mankind had he accepted the offer to play for Spain instead of Argentina. He had a dual passport and could have played for Spain, but he chose his motherland instead.
- Lionel Messi has actually won a competition with Argentina. The 2008 Olympics was won by Argentina and he was a part of that team.
- He has played in four finals (2014 World Cup, and 2007, 2015 and 2016 Copa Americas) with Argentina and failed to score in any of them. To make things worse, he lost all four of them.
- He is the only player to win 5 Ballons d’Or.
- He has played 658 games and has scored 524 goals while creating 261 assists. Some insane stats right there.
- He shares his birthplace with another legendary figure, Che Guevera. They were both born in Rosario, Argentina.
- Barca’s sports chief, Carles Rexach, was so impressed with his skills that he, after not finding a piece of paper, used a napkin to make Lionel Messi sign his first football contract.
- He has scored 56 goals for Argentina—more than any other player.
- He was the youngest player to ever play for Argentina at the FIFA World Cup when he made his World Cup appearance in 2006 at only 18 years and 357 days old
Ciao, Leo! Even though a part of us believes that you will reverse your decision—and we certainly hope that.
