Lionel Messi leaves Seleccion but not before making it richer

CHENNAI: As the camera panned to Lionel Messi after he walked past the FIFA World Cup trophy on that July night, one couldn’t help but shed a tear. As it turns out, it was the last that we saw him playing - and  might be the last time that we witnessed one of football’s greatest generations, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, all but confirming their international retirement.

One could quite possibly excuse themselves for thinking that the 39-year-old walked away from the game without winning a single title for Argentina. But that wasn’t the case; it was a look that was more in the realm of ‘I feel so bad for letting down my country in the final’.

Messi won everything possible in Argentina’s jersey: the Copa America titles against Brazil and Colombia, the ultimate footballing prize – the World Cup in 2022 – when he was the Player of the final against a strong French side, or when he helped Argentina steamroll Italy in the Finalissima in front of a capacity crowd in Wembley.

His last World Cup was a trip down the memory lane, as Messi in his last dance did it all, flying tackles, scoring goals, assisting goals and helping Argentina climb mountains that seemed impossible, like the semi-final clash against England where he assisted both the goals, or how he brought on his magical touch against Egypt.

History books might have him as a footballer with 125 goals, but for a country of 46 million in South America, he was much more than that ­— an idol, and for some, even god. As one of the biggest rivalries in world football is coming to an end, it is impossible to not feel bad about the years that we all spent debating about the greats,  Messi and Ronaldo, when football was winning either way. 

A decade ago, the fans booed him after his Argentina missed another opportunity to lift a trophy. But now, Messi leaves with a rich legacy, as the shy boy from Rosario became Argentina’s loudest heartbeat. As the sky-blue No 10 fades into history, he departs not just with trophies, but having made the Seleccion infinitely richer.