Argentina captain Lionel Messi hopes striker Angel Di Maria ends his international career with a goal in Sunday's Copa America final against Colombia.
Di Maria, 36, announced plans to retire from international football in November after representing his country for 15 years and Messi wants to get his name on the scoresheet as he did against Brazil to clinch the continental title in 2021 and against France when they won the 2022 World Cup final.
“Who knows, maybe he'll score another goal in the final like he did in all the previous ones he played in. It would be extraordinary,” Messi said in an interview with Direct TV Sports on Saturday, adding that the team is still hoping he will reverse his decision.
“We always tell him that if everything goes well, we have playoff games ahead. However, 'Fideo' [Di María] has made a decision and there is nothing that can change it.”
Di María has scored 31 goals in 144 appearances for Argentina, having played in six Copa Américas and four World Cups.
He also scored the winning goal in Argentina's 1-0 victory over Nigeria to win Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni did not guarantee that Di Maria would start against Colombia.
“Even though we know it will be his last game, we will always decide what is best for the team first. If he has to play, it is because he has to play; if we decide not to play him, it is because we think differently,” he said.
“We hope that everything goes well and that Angel can retire in the best possible way.”
Argentina reached Sunday's final without a dominant performance from Messi, who has battled a leg injury.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner weaved his way through defenders and created scoring opportunities for his teammates but failed to find the net until he deflected Enzo Fernandez's shot past Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau to help seal Argentina's 2-0 semi-final victory.
Before the final, the 37-year-old said he had struggled with discomfort at times during the tournament but said it would not hold him back on Sunday.
“I'm going to feel better in the final,” he said.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
