Heartbreak to history-makers: Lionel Messi’s finals record with Argentina

Lionel Messi and Argentina are now 90 minutes away from a third consecutive major international trophy. It’s an achievement that could provide the perfect sign-off for Messi’s international career and would elevate this Argentina side to the rarefied air of some of the finest international teams of any era.

And yet it’s a prospect that seemed a long way away just three years ago, when Argentina’s international trophy drought ticked into a 28th year. When the team approached the 2021 Copa América the feeling was that Lionel Messi, then aged 33, was running out of time to taste success with the national team. That year’s Copa América triumph was followed by a historic 2022 World Cup win, the final repost to critics who claimed that Messi would never truly perform for Argentina.

They may now be on the brink of history, but Argentina and Messi endured a number of heartbreaking defeats before finally coming out on top.

Messi and Argentina’s long wait for a title

Lionel Messi, now the most-capped and highest-scoring player in the history of the Argentina national team, made his tournament debut at the 2006 World Cup, aged just 18 years old. La Albiceleste were eliminated in the quarter-final stage in Germany but they were expected to do well in the following year’s Copa América, hosted in Venezuela.

Argentina made it to the final of the 2007 CONMEBOL competition but were beaten by Brazil, Messi’s first taste of final defeat with the national team. He started in the final and was named the tournament’s Best Young Player but his Argentina fell to a 3-0 defeat to their old rivals.

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Messi’s second near miss with Argentina came at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they took on an imperious Germany side in the final. The Germans were fresh from a historic 7-1 demolition of the hosts in the semi-finals and proved too strong for Argentina, winning 1-0 in a hard-fought final. Messi, not for the last time, was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.

What followed next was a brace of Copa América heartbreaks that looked to have ended Messi’s career with the national team. Argentina reached the final in both 2015 and 2016, but were twice beaten by Chile on penalties. In the 2016 final Messi missed his spot kick and subsequently announced his retirement from the international game. Speaking after the game Messi said: “I’ve done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion.”

How many titles has Messi won with Argentina?

Fortunately, for the history of Argentinian soccer, Messi’s international retirement did not last long. Two months after the final heartbreak he announced that he was returning the national team, saying: “There were too many things in my head during the day of the last final and I seriously thought about letting it go, but I love my country and this jersey so much.”

At the 2018 World Cup Argentina fell to Round of 16 elimination at the hands of eventual winners France but that underperformance would herald the start of a period of historic success. Former assistant coach Lionel Scaloni was appointed as interim head coach of the Argentina national team and, after a commendable third-place finish in the 2019 Copa América, he was given the job on a permanent basis. With the team reconfigured to get the best out of the final years of Messi’s talents, Argentina were set up for success.

Argentina ended their 28-year trophy drought with a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final of the 2021 Copa América. After 16 years with the national team, Messi had finally lifted a trophy with the national team and he would not end there.

Despite his advancing age Lionel Messi starred at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He scored seven goals, including two in the final, and was awarded the Golden Ball after leading his team to a dramatic penalty shootout victory over France in the final. After a 16-year wait for his first international title Messi picked up two in two years and can add a third in the Copa América final against Colombia on Sunday.

A third consecutive title would enshrine this Argentina team, Messi’s Argentina team, in sporting folklore. The captain turned 37 last month and this summer’s tournament could provide the perfect sign-off with the national team. However Scaloni is hoping that Sunday’s final is not the end for Messi the blue and white of Argentina.

“We don’t want to retire him early, we don’t want to start crying now,” the Argentina boss told reporters at the pre-final press conference. “We have to let him play and then we will see if we can convince him to stay with us, but so far he’s here and he has to enjoy this moment.”