The final chapters of Lionel Messi's international career will forever be intertwined with South Florida. We should feel fortunate that it happened at all.
Ten years ago, Messi walked away from Argentina at the ripe age of 29, convinced the national team and its fans would be better off without him. Three major tournament final defeats had transformed one of the greatest players in history into a punching bag. For a brief moment in 2016, the story of Messi's international career appeared complete.
Thank goodness he changed his mind.
If Messi had stayed retired, Argentina likely would not have won the 2022 World Cup, defeating France in one of the most electric cup finals in history. South Florida, and the United States at large, would not have hosted
the redemptive final acts of his international career. And soccer fans would never have witnessed the epic that was Argentina's dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over Cape Verde, a match destined to live alongside the greatest World Cup classics.
Messi announced Aug. 31 that he is retiring from international soccer at age 39, closing a two-decade run with Argentina that included a World Cup title and the breaking of the tournament's long-standing goals record. The decision came after Argentina's loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final and weeks after the death of his father, Jorge.
It's easy to forget how differently Messi was viewed before the redemption of the 2022 World Cup.
For much of his prime, Messi was a legend of club soccer and an underachiever of the international game. From Champions League titles to Ballon d'Or awards, he won everything possible with Barcelona, yet at home in Argentina he was unfavorably compared to Diego Maradona over what he had not won with the international team.
That changed with Argentina's breakthrough Copa América win in 2021. One year later, Messi and Argentina nabbed the ultimate prize with the World Cup in Qatar. Then, in 2024, he added another Copa América trophy, this time in front of a chaotic sea of fans at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
This is the right time for Messi's international retirement
Unlike the shock announcement of 2016, this international retirement feels appropriate.
The legs are not what they once were. Messi spent much of this World Cup conserving energy, walking when others ran and picking his moments with precision. He remained inevitable, delivering eight goals and four assists, including a brilliant opener at Hard Rock Stadium against Cape Verde. While he did not technically assist on Argentina's match-winner, it was his set-piece service that initiated the winning sequence.
That is why South Florida soccer fans should appreciate what they witnessed over the last three years.
Messi's time with Inter Miami transformed the club to the MLS primetime, but Messi's international farewell elevated the sport even further. The crowds that followed Argentina through Miami this summer were euphoric, rattling the concourses at Hard Rock Stadium with musical instruments, chants and dances amid the farewell of a national icon.
A generation of local soccer fans will surely cherish Messi's perseverance and the good fortune to witness his final international chapter in our own backyard.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lionel Messi's final Argentina chapters intertwined with South Florida
