MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — As sunsets go, the one enjoyed by the “Messi Generation” of Argentine players is nearly impossible to beat. It's filled with beautiful hues and bright colors, reflecting the joy of three major trophies in three years, the most recent of which was Sunday's 1-0 overtime win over Colombia at the 2024 Copa America.
It's easy to forget that the current run was the result of continued disappointment, with multiple defeats in the Copa America and World Cup finals. But then came the 2021 Copa America, Argentina's first major trophy in 28 years, accompanied by the huge exhalation that came with realising that Lionel Messi would not end his senior international career without trophies. The momentum created helped propel The Albiceleste The team reached the 2022 World Cup, securing a place in the pantheon of the unforgettable and seeing Messi equal another Argentine icon, Diego Maradona. Now that the trio has been beaten, equalling Spain's run of three major trophies from 2008 to 2012, this group becomes the stuff of legend.
“This team continually surprises everyone,” Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said, speaking through a translator. “They overcome all the difficulties during the match against a very tough opponent, a difficult opponent. And without a good first half. I think we improved in the second half and deserved to win. And in extra time, there is always something extra that they bring, and it is very gratifying to see the reward.”
Sunday's game left Messi, Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi etched even further into Argentine history, even though the team did not play particularly well throughout the match. Still, the 36-year-old Di Maria, who fearlessly ran at opponents, was key in what he said will be his last competitive game for Argentina. The Albiceleste.
“Angel has played incredible games with us, but today was one of the best for him,” said Scaloni. “He played well, but he had a great attitude to press. And when everyone was starting to feel tired, he ran as if he were 25 years old… He is a legend and well, he is leaving us. We will try to get him to play one more game so that he recovers,” he said. [say] “Goodbye, a home game. I think he deserves it. It's like a movie.”
However, the match also marked the latest sign that the next generation is ready to take over. Scaloni has been hammering this point home for almost the entire tournament and he proved prophetic tonight. It wasn't Messi or Di Maria who scored the winner, but Lautaro Martinez.
The Inter Milan striker has done his best to convince Scaloni that he deserved to be in the starting XI, scoring two goals off the bench in the group stage and five goals in total before Sunday. And yet he found himself out of the starting XI for this game, with Julián Álvarez being preferred. But Martínez proved to be Scaloni's ace up his sleeve, coming on in the seventh minute of extra time. And, as has been his wont, he proved decisive, capitalising on a delightful pass from Giovani Lo Celso to finish powerfully past Camilo Vargas in the Colombia goal.
“[Martinez]“He has always been my number 9, forever,” Scaloni said. “And he didn’t start in the final, but he has shown that he is a natural goalscorer. Of course, maybe he is not happy because he didn’t start, but he came on and gave his best because he could have come in feeling different. And I think we have to value everything. We value everything.”
By then, Messi wasn’t even on the pitch. In the 66th minute, Argentina’s talisman fell to the ground with an ankle injury that eventually swelled to the size of a grapefruit. As he sat on the bench, tears were flowing, the anguish on his face evident. Argentina didn’t miss a beat, though. In fact, they upped their game, with another substitute, Nicolas Gonzalez, seemingly putting Argentina ahead, only for it to be ruled (correctly) offside. There were other heroes, too. Emiliano Martinez made some critical saves in goal, including a fingertip deflection of a Jefferson Lerma shot in the 33rd minute; Lisandro Martinez was immense in defence, including a key defensive header in extra time.
Messi's reaction gives the impression that, as well as Di Maria retiring from the national team, the Inter Miami striker could soon do so as well. If that is the case, it is a day Argentina has known for some time was coming, especially considering Messi turned 37 last month. However, while you know something is coming, it can be disconcerting. That was the case here, accompanied by the hope that Messi won't hang up his international boots just yet.
And to think that there was a time when Argentine fans thought Messi didn't care about the national team. They openly wondered why he couldn't repeat his exploits with Barcelona for Argentina, which suffered multiple defeats in the Copa America and World Cup finals. That misconception has long since been disproven, first when he threatened to leave after the painful loss to Chile in the 2016 Copa America final, and then by the residue of winning trophies. The affection Argentina feels for Messi is now evident. As he limped away, almost every Messi fan The Albiceleste they bowed before their hero.
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Gomez: The Copa America preview was a disgrace
Herculez Gomez reacts to the pre-match scenes of fans running into the stadium ahead of the final between Colombia and Argentina.
Unfortunately, as has happened all too often during this Copa America, the tournament's biggest event was marred by further organizational ineptitude. Before the match, Scaloni said he expected the final to be a party, but what he found before the match resembled a mosh pit that at times overwhelmed the stadium authorities.
The mass of people came close to turning into a massacre, as fans were not allowed into the stadium as authorities tried to restore a sense of calm. In the end, it didn't work. The gates were opened and an unspecified number of spectators without tickets entered the grounds, resulting in a 102-minute delay to kick-off. Both coaches described the delay as “strange”, although they acknowledged that it was the same for both teams.
Either way, this is yet another poor publicity stunt for CONMEBOL and is the latest example of how it failed to work hard enough with local organisers to prevent such an event from happening. To be clear, this phenomenon is not unique to the Copa America. Similar issues plagued the Euro 2020 final (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) as well as the 2022 UEFA Champions League final in Paris. All the more reason why CONMEBOL should have been better prepared.
Thankfully, calamity was avoided and instead the final ended with an indelible moment. Colombian coach Nestor Lorenzo said that what Argentina has achieved is “not a streak. It’s an era.” And when it came time to hand the trophy to Argentina, Messi’s tears had turned to smiles. And he made sure his longtime running mates Di Maria and Otamendi were on hand to help him lift the trophy, amid an explosion of confetti.
Even for a team as historic as Argentina, the moment was a fitting end to a truly magical generation.
