29-year-old Lionel Messi decided to make a somewhat unexpected decision - after the unsuccessful "Copa America" final match, the forward announced his retirement from the national team.
The five-time best football player on the planet made his debut for the Argentine national team in 2005, but never managed to achieve his goal of winning trophies with the national team.
On this night, L. Messi and the team had a great opportunity to end their title drought, but after a penalty shootout, they once again lost to the Chilean players. L. Messi was one of the two Argentinians who missed their penalty.
"My career in the national team is already over. There have been four finals, so it's just not meant for me to become a champion. I tried and wanted to do it, but I couldn't. It's very painful," Messi said after the final.
In total, Messi played 112 matches for the Argentine national team and scored 55 goals. One of the best footballers in history suffered a defeat in the 2014 World Cup final against Germany, and also twice previously lost to their opponents in the "Copa America" final.
This is a very unexpected news. In the 2018 World Cup, Argentina will be without their brightest face, Lionel Messi.
