How Messi's decade of dominance almost never happened

In June 2016, Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football after 113 appearances for Argentina. He had already captained them to World Cup glory at Qatar 2022 and Copa America triumphs in 2021 and 2024. However, Messi had previously retired in June 2015, just two days after turning 29 and following a penalty miss in a Copa America final defeat to Chile.

This decision was fueled by Argentina's repeated failures in major international tournaments, including the 2014 World Cup final and Copa America finals in 2007, 2015 and 2016. Messi expressed his disappointment at not being able to win a major trophy for his country. Despite the criticism he faced, including comparisons to Diego Maradona, Messi eventually changed his mind and returned to international football less than a year later.

In the decade that followed, he played 94 more times for Argentina and scored 70 more goals, helping the team secure four major trophies. The period between his first and second retirements proved to be a critical juncture in Argentine football history.