At 39 years old, Messi celebrates his birthday by breaking records and experiences a light goodbye in the Argentine national team
There is nothing comparable to doing what you love without the heavy load of global expectations on your shoulders. Current world champion, Lionel Messi reaches his 39th birthday showing a more relaxed and mature version in the Argentine national team. Owner of several records and a historic top scorer, he overcame the marks of previous failures with the national shirt to consolidate himself as the protagonist of the World Cup.
Focused on his teammates, Lionel Messi is already used to celebrating birthdays. Born on June 24, a date that often coincides with World Cups, Copa América and FIFA dates, he spent countless celebrations away from home. What, after all, can Messi still aim for when he blows out the candles today?
“The truth is that I can’t ask for anything more”, declared the star after the victory against Austria, a match in which he became the top scorer in World Cup history. “Thank God, as I have mentioned several times, everything has been granted to me in the sporting field. The only thing I ask for is health for myself, for my family, for the people who have always been close to me. And to be able to continue enjoying all these moments, being with this group, which for many years has brought joy to our people and remains at the height of each competition, which in each match competes as if it were the first, no matter the opponent. Above all, continue to enjoy being here.”
The path to the last tango after the intense journey
At 39 years old, Messi has already won every possible club title. Barcelona’s supreme idol, he was voted the best in the world on eight occasions and fascinated European football. For many years, however, glory eluded the Argentine national team, accumulating three runners-up finishes between 2014 and 2016. After the defeat in the Copa América final to Chile, he even announced his retirement from the national team.
FIFA releases special video of Messi for his performance against Austria
In 2016, Messi reversed his decision to retire from the national team. This is one of those themes that incite the imagination to a “what if?”, an alternative scenario where Argentina’s number 10 shirt would no longer be his. It is important to remember that the rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo reached its peak at that time. CR7 had won the European Championship with Portugal and shone for Real Madrid in the Champions League. Would such an outcome have changed anything for Portuguese? Would he have achieved the world title? Would Messi have retired at Barcelona? Would “Scaloneta” have formed or maintained the strength that led to the world title in 2022? Would Mbappé be compared to the greatest in the sport?
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These are questions that will never be answered. Messi bore the weight of an entire nation for years. The Argentines had not celebrated a major title with the national team since 1993, even before Maradona said goodbye. Placing Lionel alongside Diego was not an easy comparison. One lifted the world cup in 1986 with “La Mano de Dios”; the other cried at Maracanã over the defeat to Germany.
It was only in 2021 that the long fast came to an end. Marking the beginning of the “Scaloneta”, coach Lionel Scaloni’s team won the Copa América against Brazil and broke the sequence of failures. This victory also represented the chance to chase away the ghost of Maracanã, seven years after finishing runner-up to Germany, Messi lifted a trophy in the same stadium. However, this achievement has not yet completely eliminated the pressure on his shoulders.
Messi’s moments of brilliance at Barcelona will never be forgotten or undervalued, but what immortalized him in the history of the sport was the 2022 World Cup. With seven goals, three assists and a masterful performance from a team that played for every Argentine citizen, Messi became world champion in Qatar, adding another star to Argentina’s shirt and consolidating an era of excellence rarely seen, especially in the maturity of his career, compared to many other icons who had already declined in this season. phase.
What does the next and final chapter still hold?
An ending with an “end” could have been the most poetic conclusion to Messi’s journey. However, there was still room for more chapters. He returned to his country as a legend, achieving the highest level of idolatry. The three and a half years of the cycle until the 2026 World Cup were marked by celebrations, emotions and profound relief. When he reached the World Cup in North America, at the age of 38, the number 10 still had a lot to offer to football.
Messi entered the field without the obligation to prove anything else. Although Argentina naturally aims to defend the title and win its fourth championship, the pressure is not the same as before. The packed stadiums in Kansas City and Dallas echoed “Messi, Messi, Messi” from start to finish, and the acclaimed star lived up to expectations.
In his debut match, he scored three goals against Algeria. Then, against Austria, he added two more goals to his tally. All of Argentina’s goals until the second round were scored by Lionel Messi, the greatest scorer in World Cup history, with a total of 18 goals. Breaking records has become a constant in the journey of the genius who dances his last tango with the wisdom of someone who has already experienced everything life has to offer, now enjoying the well-deserved exaltation.
Next matches for the Argentine team in the World Cup
- 1st round: Argentina x Algeria, June 16, 10pm, in Kansas City
- 2nd round: Argentina x Austria, June 22nd, 2pm, in Dallas
- 3rd round: Jordan x Argentina, June 27, at 11pm, in Dallas
