Messi’s greatest triumph may have come where he once left Argentina
Flash back to 2016. Leicester City have just shocked the football world. Pep Guardiola was preparing for his first season at Manchester City. Kylian Mbappe was still an exciting teenager waiting for his big break. Cristiano Ronaldo would win the Euro with Portugal in the same year.
But one thing that didn’t work out was Argentina and Lionel Messi. He has just announced his retirement from international football after suffering further heartbreak with Argentina at the Copa America and falling victim to Chile for the second year running after beating his penalty.
It looked bleak for the Argentinian, who was still at the peak of his powers. Just one season earlier, he was a key cog in the South American attacking trio with Neymar and Luis Suarez for FC Barcelona, where they won the treble under Luis Enrique. Messi was also on his winning ballon d’Or, having already won five by 2016.
Still, he was missing something when he played for Argentina. It remained unclear whether this was an individual problem or a team problem. But he still managed to get Argentina to the finals of the World Cup in 2014. That big international trophy he was desperate for always eluded him.
On June 27, 2016, he dropped a bomb at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. “For me, the national team is over,” he said after the defeat to Chile in the Copa America final, as reported by the BBC. “I did what I could. It hurts not to be the champion.”
10 years ago, Lionel Messi stood at the MetLife Stadium and announced his retirement.
Fast forward to 2026: same pitch, World Cup final, last farewell dance.
Poetry. Pure football magic.
The GOAT completes the circle.
Who cuts onions anymore? #Messi pic.twitter.com/5jIcdKOq1A— MT (@MessiTouchline) July 18, 2026
It looked like not winning a trophy for the national team would haunt him throughout his career. With Diego Maradona’s shadow looming over him, he didn’t have the luxury of bringing back anything less. With that retirement announcement, he felt that his own country would never love him. The one he played for, even though he had fellow Spaniards desperate for his talent.
Not to mention the Messi versus Ronaldo rivalry was at its peak. Social media and critics debated Argentina’s performance in that final and with regards to Messi’s announcement. There didn’t seem to be anyone here who had an ounce of empathy. Everyone was caught up in the frenzy that arose from this rivalry.
TEENAGER’S PLEA
When Messi announced his retirement, the 15-year-old Enzo Fernandez was watching. The midfielder, then unknown to the wider world, sat down and wrote an open letter to his hero on Facebook.
“How are we going to convince you when we’ve never had one percent of the pressure you have on your shoulders in our lives?” begged “Do what you want Lionel, but please think about staying. Stay and have fun.” Young Enzo Fernandez shared an emotional letter to Lionel Messi. (Image: X/@AlbicelesteTalk)
Messi didn’t read it then. He was too absorbed in his own despair. But ten years later, the teenager has become one of Argentina’s most important midfielders. The two are now teammates chasing history together. In 2026, the same player who once begged Messi not to leave will stand next to him, fighting for a trophy that once seemed impossible.
It’s the kind of symmetry that seems too perfect to be true. Yet here it is.
NO ONE EXPECTED THE RETURN
But retirement turned out to be premature. In less than five years, the narrative has completely reversed. The The triumph of the Copa America in 2021 changed everything. Messi was back and this time Argentina delivered. The tournament in Brazil showed that something had shifted. The team around him was finally working, finally complementing rather than limiting. When Messi lifted the trophy, the weight of the decade was lifted with it.
Then came Qatar. The The 2022 World Cup was supposed to be Messi’s last real chance. Instead, it became his redemption. Not only for him, but for the entire nation that has lost its faith. Argentina’s journey through this tournament has been a resurrection disguised as sport. When he held the trophy above his head, he wasn’t just winning for himself. He answered all the doubters, all the comparisons to Maradona, all the critics who said he couldn’t perform on the biggest stage. Lionel Messi finally achieved his lifelong dream in 2022. (Image: Reuters)
The penalty kick he skied in 2016 was suddenly irrelevant. History is being rewritten for champions.
REDEMPTION FULL CIRCLE
Now as 2026 beckons, Messi is on the precipice of something extraordinary. Back-to-back World Cup wins would put Argentina alongside Brazil’s legacies of 1958 and 1962. More than that, it would cement Messi’s story as one of sports’ greatest arcs of redemption. A player who left in disgrace could now end on his own terms, with a trophy cabinet that will silence any critic.
MetLife Stadium saw its worst moment. But football is not only about symbolism. The important thing is that Argentina has evolved. The support around Messi has matured. The team now understands its own identity. That was missing in 2016.
The narrative came full circle. A teenager’s desperate plea became a prophecy. That same midfielder will now run alongside his hero one last time, not begging him to stay but fighting with him to cement a legacy that transcends the sport itself. In 2026, Messi won’t just be chasing a trophy. He will be rewriting a story that began with heartbreak at MetLife Stadium exactly ten years ago.
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– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
19 July 2026 10:00 AM IST