Messi’s decade of dominance: From retirement to World Cup glory

might have retired from international football. But this isn't the first time he has made that announcement. Back in 2016, Messi had decided that he would end his Argentina career only to make a U-turn within days. That would eventually change the game forever. Just two days after turning 29 and fresh from missing a penalty in Argentina's Copa America final Messi made a shock announcement. He said he was done with international football and was convinced he would never wear the Argentina shirt again. The pain was understandable. Argentina had already fallen in the 2014 World Cup final, along with defeats in the 2007 and 2015 Copa America finals and another heartbreak in 2016. But Messi soon had a change of heart and decided to reverse his decision and the rest is history. But still the success didn't come instantly. Well, in 2018, Argentina were knocked out by France in the last 16 of the World Cup. And many began to question whether Messi would ever get his hands on an international trophy. But his first senior trophy with Argentina finally came at the age of 34 when Argentina won the 2021 Copa America. Since then, Messi and Argentina have gone on to lift three more major trophies. But the biggest of them all came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Messi finally achieved his ultimate dream. He also helped Argentina win the 2024 Copa America.