Birthday boy Messi returns to scene of Copa Argentina torment

The day after his 37th birthday, Lionel Messi will return to the scene of one of the most disappointing moments of his brilliant career when Argentina faces Chile at MetLife Stadium in Group A of the Copa America on Tuesday.

Eight years ago, Messi was part of the Argentina team that lost the Copa America final on penalties to Chile in New Jersey – with the striker missing his team’s first effort in the shoot to the net.

It was the third final in a row that Argentina and Messi had lost – following their 2014 World Cup defeat to Germany in Brazil and their 2015 Copa final where Chile triumphed at home.

The narrative at the time focused on how Messi, who shone on the club scene and collected individual trophies with Barcelona, ​​failed to win with Argentina.

There have been endless debates comparing how Diego Maradona brought glory to his homeland, while also playing in Europe, and earned a level of adoration from the Argentine public that Messi could never have matched.

The pressure was so much, the bitterness of this defeat was such that Messi left the national team before even boarding the team bus to leave Meadowlands.

“I think that’s it. The national team, it’s over for me,” Messi told Argentine television.

“It’s for the good of everyone, for me and for everyone… I’ve tried a lot and we can’t win a title. I can’t do it, it hurts me more than anyone else,” added attacking him.

If Messi had any doubts about how much he was loved by the Argentine public, his decision to quit quickly exposed him to the true feelings of his compatriots.

When he returned to Buenos Aires with the team, he was greeted by supporters holding signs declaring “Don’t leave Leo” and the country’s then president, Mauricio Macri, joined the campaign calling him “a gift from God” and “the greatest thing Argentina has”.

Maradona himself joined the campaign and fans took to the streets to urge him to rethink, which he quickly did, beginning the journey that led to their World Cup triumph in 2022.

– Changed man –

This victory not only definitively ended the debates about Messi, but, according to the former Barcelona and Argentina coach, Gerardo “Tata” Martino, now Messi’s coach again at Inter Miami, has changed the man himself.

“He had a very heavy weight on his shoulders and removing it transformed him on a daily basis,” Martino said recently.

And now, New Jersey again, Chile again, once again a Copa America campaign and this time the opportunity to complete a complete turnaround with a third consecutive major tournament title for Argentina.

Not that Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is in the mood for nostalgia or reflection by focusing solely on the present.

“Football continues, the ball doesn’t stop. The stadium is the same, everything else is history, it doesn’t make much sense to go back. This is an opponent we have against played a lot, I don’t think it’s any different from the others,” he said on Monday.

The world champions, clear favorites to win this Copa America, started their campaign in positive fashion with a 2-0 victory against Canada in Atlanta last week.

Chile, who were not as strong as in 2016, having won only once in South American World Cup qualifying so far, were less impressive in their draw and scoreless against Peru in Texas.

Well-traveled Argentine coach Ricardo Gareca took over the team in January, tasked with turning things around and he hopes his team will be highly motivated to take on the world champions.

“That’s what I like about Chile, is that they take the initiative on the pitch,” the 66-year-old said.

“I see Argentina as aggressive as they have always been. This forces us to be very focused, attentive defensively and it also forces us to develop our game, finding a way beyond the strategies that usually exist” , did he declare.

Scaloni declined to discuss his likely starting lineup for the match, but there could be some rotation with veteran Angel Di Maria possibly rested and experienced defender Nicolas Otamendi as an option for the back line.

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