If the list of defenders that Lionel Messi dribbled, eluded and passed again for two decades is endless, from Asier del Horno in 2006, Jerome Boateng in 2015 and Josko Gardiol in 2022, the Argentine number 10 began to face the most implacable marker at 37 years old: time. Always magical and just two games away from being able to win the championship again with the Albiceleste, Messi now also challenges a combination as unknown as it is inevitable, that of age, injuries and a physique that in the last year has become accustomed to the MLS, a league outside of the top competition.
After a very tough match against Ecuador, in which Messi played little part in the game, Argentina and its captain will face the surprising Canada on Tuesday in New Jersey in the semi-finals of the Copa America USA 2024, a tournament that does not help either. The patched playing fields of natural or synthetic grass in magnificent American football stadiums, but poorly adapted to football, aroused the criticism of several players and caused more than one injury.
Although Conmebol seemed to design a fixture In order for Argentina and Brazil to reach the final – and for Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay to stop that path – the Copa America is actually much more concerned, almost exclusively, with what Messi does or doesn’t do, even above the world champion team. Having become a celebrity who attracts even Hollywood figures, the Inter Miami number 10 overcame the lack of American culture in men’s soccer and became a celebrity outside of the sport. Messi, however, has not yet taken off in the tournament. For now he has not scored any goals and, as a symbol of his lackluster start, he even missed a penalty in the dramatic finale against Ecuador.
Of Argentina’s four Copa games, Messi only played in full physical condition in one, the debut match, against Canada, when he performed well and participated in the plays for both of Argentina’s goals. But in the second match, against Chile – 24 hours after turning 37 – the number 10 injured his right adductor muscle in the first play and, although he completed the 90 minutes, it was clear that he regulated his physical effort to avoid worsening the pain. The national team’s doctors had to enter the field in New Jersey, also the site of today’s match – and pointed out by NFL players as the most prone to injuries – to massage him and apply ice.
As Argentina had won the first two games and were already qualified for the quarter-finals, Messi remained on the bench against Peru, at the close of the first round. But his return against Ecuador, far from clearing up the doubts, only increased them. According to statistics from 2011, it was his game with the national team in which he had the fewest touches of the ball: 32. Harmed by a poor overall performance by Argentina, the captain only kicked at goal once and intervened in attack for the first time in the 21st minute. However, even in reduced doses, his talent is always injury-proof: the number 10 masterfully set up Enzo Fernández, who made a mistake in the definition, and sent in the corner that ended in Lisandro Martínez’s goal.
Messi admitted after the match that he played with a “psychological fear” of getting injured and the national team coach, Lionel Scaloni, explained why he stayed for the whole 90 minutes: “I kept asking him how he was and he told me he was fine. He finished well, with 4 or 5 minutes left we asked him again and he was fine, I don’t think he has any problems.” With Messi at 50%, it was clear that, if it had been another player, the coach would have replaced him, but he trusted the feelings of the number 10, who was considered safe to complete the match.
On Monday, in the press conference before the match against Canada, Scaloni was asked again about Messi’s physical condition, and he confirmed him as a starter: “Leo is fine, he trained well and he will be part of the match. He is fundamental for us. 99 percent of the time he is fit to play and it has never happened to me that he was not fit to play. It is a very easy decision because it is a very frank conversation: ‘Are you fit to play?’ ‘Yes, I am fit.’ If he tells me he is fit, who would have any doubts about putting him in? I take responsibility for that. I am the one who decides and when I see that he is fit to play, even if he is not 100% fit, he will play.”
Also defending champions after their title in Brazil 2021, Argentina started their journey through the United States on a solid note with three consecutive wins, 2-0 against Canada, 1-0 against Chile and 2-0 against Peru, but took a step back against Ecuador, when they qualified thanks to their hero on penalties, the Draw Emiliano Martínez. Led by star Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich, Canada is playing the best tournament in its history and is the only representative of Concacaf. It quietly eliminated three Conmebol teams, Chile and Peru in the first phase, and Venezuela in the quarterfinals, on penalties. The remaining semifinal will be played on Wednesday between Colombia and Uruguay, who have had magnificent performances so far, while waiting for the final on Sunday in Miami, the new home of the Argentine number 10.
Since everything Messi does is important, even any projection, speculation or exaggeration, there are those who have begun to regret how far away the 2026 World Cup is, also in the United States, when the genius will be 39 years old. But, as Messi himself said, he will make that decision day by day. For now, this Tuesday against Canada he will play for a ticket to a new final. Messi now also wants to beat time.
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