{
  "id": 4750759,
  "title": "Messi's legendary run for Argentina almost never happened after heartbreak",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/messis-legendary-run-for-argentina-almost-never-happened-after-4750759",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T00:17:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/lionel-messi-argentina-world-up-success-almost-never-happened/107100750"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Lionel Messi ends his international football career as a living legend with a God-like status in his country, but the dizzying heights the great man reached almost never happened if he had stuck to his original retirement.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Expansion ES",
        "title": "Lionel Messi Retires from Argentina: \"I Emptied Myself, I Have Nothing Left to Give\"",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/lionel-messi-se-retira-de-argentina-me-vacie-ya-no-tengo-mas-para-dar",
        "published": "2026-08-31T15:28:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Lionel Messi announces retirement from Argentina national team: 'This is the right moment'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/lionel-messi-announces-retirement-from-argentina-national-team-this",
        "published": "2026-08-31T15:35:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Lionel Messi says he's retiring from Argentina's national soccer team after nearly 2 decades",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/lionel-messi-says-hes-retiring-from-argentinas-national-soccer-team",
        "published": "2026-08-31T16:12:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Messi says goodbye to Argentina after glittering 21-year international career",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/messi-says-goodbye-to-argentina-after-glittering-21-year",
        "published": "2026-08-31T17:17:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "SABC News",
        "title": "Lionel Messi retires from Argentina national team",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/lionel-messi-retires-from-argentina-national-team",
        "published": "2026-08-31T17:46:47.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Buenos Aires Times",
        "title": "Six defining moments of Lionel Messi's Argentina career",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/six-defining-moments-of-lionel-messis-argentina-career",
        "published": "2026-08-31T18:26:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MercoPress",
        "title": "“I gave everything, I have nothing left”: Messi ends twenty years with Argentina",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/i-gave-everything-i-have-nothing-left-messi-ends-twenty-years-with",
        "published": "2026-08-31T22:10:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News",
        "title": "Messi's legendary run for Argentina almost never happened after heartbreak",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/messis-legendary-run-for-argentina-almost-never-happened-after",
        "published": "2026-09-01T00:17:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}