The 2024 Copa America championship will be the perfect ending, closing an era of success but with many low notes for Lionel Messi in the Argentina team shirt.
With a 2-0 victory over Canada in the semi-finals, Argentina has appeared in the Copa America final for the second time in a row. Notably, this is the 6th final after the last 8 major tournaments that the Albiceleste has participated in since the 2014 World Cup. Previously, superstar Lionel Messi was always the most prominent playing factor. However, the Albiceleste’s journey to the 2024 Copa America final no longer bears the personal imprint of the 37-year-old captain.
Persistent injuries to the groin muscle and age factors have caused the Inter Miami striker to have only 1 goal and 1 assist since the beginning of the tournament. Instead, Argentina advanced to the final thanks to their collective strength, with Messi as one of the pieces. This shows that the era of Messi and other stars Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi at the Albiceleste is gradually coming to an end.
“This could be one of the last matches of my career. It’s not easy to get to the finals again. Therefore, my team and I are enjoying every moment to the fullest.
The current group of players have shown great qualities to appear in the Copa America final once again. This is a difficult tournament, with extreme temperatures and weather. However, the whole team overcame it together and is trying to maintain that success,” Messi shared after the 2-0 win over Canada in the semi-finals.
