On June 26, 2016, Lionel Messi lived one of the most painful nights of his career when he missed his penalty kick in the Copa America final against Chile. After the defeat, the player collapsed in tears, suffered his fourth lost final with the Argentine national team, and even said goodbye to the national team saying: "It's over. It's not for me."
However, that bitter moment was actually a new beginning. Messi rewrote his history with Argentina, overcoming the runner-up finishes at the 2007 and 2015 Copa America and the 2014 World Cup. The number 10 finally reached glory by winning the 2022 World Cup title, erasing decades of frustration and silencing the criticism from fans who said he didn't truly feel the Argentine jersey.
The retirement announced this Monday is very different from the bitter farewell of 2016. This time, Messi definitively ends a trajectory with the Argentine national team that, contrary to what he himself thought that day at MetLife Stadium, was indeed "for him."
