{
  "id": 4692507,
  "title": "How Messi's decade of dominance almost never happened",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/how-messis-decade-of-dominance-almost-never-happened-4692507",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-31T18:41:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/messis-decade-dominance-almost-never-183057010.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lionel Messi retired from international football on June 26, 2016, after a decade of dominance for Argentina. The decision came two days after his 29th birthday and following a penalty miss in the Copa America final loss to Chile. Messi had scored eight goals and registered four assists at the 2022 World Cup, as well as leading Argentina to Copa America victories in 2021 and 2024. However, his retirement came after a series of losses in major tournaments, including the 2014 World Cup final and Copa America finals in 2007, 2015, and 2016. Messi had previously considered leaving the national team due to the pressure of being the captain and Maradona's criticism, but ultimately decided to return to the Argentina national team. The six-week period between his retirement and announcement saw a massive outpouring of support from fans, teammates, and the President of Argentina, with Messi eventually deciding to play on for his country.",
  "summary": "Lionel Messi's decade of dominance with Argentina that almost never happened will go down as one of football's greatest ever stories.",
  "key_points": [
    "Lionel Messi retired from international football at 29.",
    "He scored 8 goals and had 4 assists at 2022 World Cup.",
    "Messi's retirement followed losses in major tournaments."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "How Messi's decade of dominance almost never happened",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/how-messis-decade-of-dominance-almost-never-happened",
        "published": "2026-08-31T18:24:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}