Lionel Messi: Argentina ‘won’t close the door’ after 37-year-old admits he is playing his last Copa America

Argentina leader Lionel Scaloni insists he “won’t adjacent nan door” connected Lionel Messi’s world profession aft nan 37-year-old admitted he was apt playing successful his past Copa America.

Messi scored arsenic Argentina hit Canada 2-0 successful New Jersey to beforehand to a last conflict pinch either Colombia aliases Uruguay, deflecting location Enzo Fernandez’s changeable aft Julian Alvarez had put Scaloni’s men up successful nan first half.

Messi acccepts he is improbable to play successful different Copa pinch nan adjacent version not scheduled for different 4 years, but Scaloni insisted immoderate determination connected his early would beryllium near to nan player, and that besides goes for Angel Di Maria.

“You cognize really I think, we hold and spot really he plays,” Scaloni said of Di Maria. “We won’t discontinue him early earlier nan game, past nan tears will commencement and everyone, his family, will get melancholic. We’ll spot later if we person him aliases not person him, but for now we fto him play.

“It’s nan aforesaid lawsuit for Messi. We time off them calm from our part, we won’t beryllium nan ones to adjacent nan doorway connected them. He tin beryllium pinch america arsenic agelong arsenic he wants, and moreover aft he retires he tin subordinate maine if I’m still coach. And if not I’ll return him wherever I go. He would beryllium a awesome help.”

Leo Messi ✨🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/1PZGbE2MoJ

— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ ENG (@copaamerica_ENG) July 10, 2024

Messi has offered small denotation arsenic to erstwhile he mightiness retire, but did opportunity aft nan game: “We bask what we are surviving arsenic a squad, arsenic a group. It is not easy that we are successful a last again and we are astir to compete again pinch nan anticipation of being champions.

“A batch of value is fixed to nan erstwhile finals that maine and nan ‘old guard’ person played. These are nan past battles we will person pinch Di Maria and [Nicolas] Otamendi. Surely this is my past Copa.”

Argentina are nan defending Copa champions and backed up their continental occurrence by winning nan World Cup successful Qatar successful 2022.

It’s a singular tally of occurrence that moreover nan understated Scaloni says should beryllium recognised.

“It’s thing to beryllium proud of and grateful to nan players for,” Scaloni said. “Yesterday, a [media] workfellow asked maine if we normalise this, but nan mobility was bully and I wasn’t clear. 

“It’s ace difficult to beryllium successful a final, particularly coming successful nan measurement we did pinch erstwhile occurrence and triumph. It’s doubly arsenic hard.

“The ones connected nan wrong cognize really difficult it is to scope this point. It’s a sensation of happiness, but besides interest because it costs more.”