Messi Embraces “Last Battles” After Leading Argentina to Copa America Final

Lionel Messi expressed his enjoyment of his “last battles” with Argentina after scoring in their 2-0 victory over Canada on Tuesday, securing a place in the Copa America final. The 37-year-old found the net alongside Julian Alvarez, who also scored, following a lackluster quarter-final performance against Ecuador.

“I’m living it like I lived it in the last Copa America, in the last World Cup….these are the last battles and I’m enjoying them to the maximum,” Messi told TyC Sports. The win sets up a final clash with either Uruguay or Colombia.

Now with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, Messi has not yet decided whether he will continue with Argentina for the 2026 World Cup, which will feature a final at a New Jersey venue. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni urged patience regarding Messi’s future. “We have to leave him alone, he knows that we will not be the ones to close the door on him. He can stay with us as long as he wants, even when he retires…Let him decide what he wants,” Scaloni said.

Messi aims for a third consecutive major title with Argentina, following their 2022 World Cup triumph and 2021 Copa America win. He highlighted the achievement as validation for the team’s efforts during difficult years. “The truth is that it’s crazy what this group has done, what the Argentina national team has been doing,” Messi told TyC Sports. “It’s not easy for us to be in a final again, for us to compete again to be champions.”

Despite a comfortable win over Canada, Messi acknowledged the tough competition in the tournament. “It’s a difficult Copa, evenly matched, with very bad pitches, with high temperatures, very tough teams, and for us to be in a final again is something to enjoy,” he said.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez shared Messi’s sentiment, expressing pride in reaching another final. “It’s a source of pride as an Argentine, as a representative of this national team, to be able to play in another final. It feels as if it was the first time,” Martinez said.

(Source: AFP)