{"id":77530,"date":"2024-06-20T20:40:05","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T20:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/20\/as-messi-seeks-another-trophy-soccer-fears-for-a-future-without-him\/"},"modified":"2024-06-20T20:40:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T20:40:05","slug":"as-messi-seeks-another-trophy-soccer-fears-for-a-future-without-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/20\/as-messi-seeks-another-trophy-soccer-fears-for-a-future-without-him\/","title":{"rendered":"As Messi Seeks Another Trophy, Soccer Fears for a Future Without Him"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/20\/world\/20argentina-soccer-promo\/20argentina-soccer-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"As Messi Seeks Another Trophy, Soccer Fears for a Future Without Him\" title=\"As Messi Seeks Another Trophy, Soccer Fears for a Future Without Him\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Thursday in Atlanta, the Argentine national soccer team will kick off the 2024 edition of Copa Am\u00e9rica, South America\u2019s biggest soccer championship, with a game against Canada. Fans around the world, but especially in Argentina, have been eagerly awaiting this day ever since their beloved squad, led by perhaps the greatest soccer player of all time, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/18\/sports\/soccer\/messi-world-cup-win.html\" title=\"\">won the 2022 World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But when Lionel Messi, the Argentine captain and superstar, takes the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with his teammates as the favorites to defend their 2021 Copa Am\u00e9rica title, a simmering sadness will follow him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Will this be the last time Mr. Messi, who turns 37 next week and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/story\/_\/id\/37846445\/argentina-lionel-messi-doubts-play-2026-world-cup\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> two years ago that it was his final World Cup, wears the blue and white Argentine uniform in a major tournament? Will this be the last time one of the most famous humans on Earth, who brought joy to many during unstable times in his homeland, represents his soccer-obsessed country?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHe\u2019s already saying goodbye, with the interviews he\u2019s been giving, it seems like he\u2019s preparing us for it,\u201d said Sergio Colque, 40, an electrician, as he waited to play in a recreational soccer match last weekend in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Jonathan Icikson, 27, an ambulance dispatcher<strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">, <\/strong>was with friends outside a bar last week watching Argentina play against Guatemala in its final tuneup before Copa Am\u00e9rica. \u201cThe sadness, obviously, can\u2019t be measured in words,\u201d he said, \u201cbut not all endings are happy. All good things come to an end at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">This Copa Am\u00e9rica will certainly be the end for this group of Argentine players.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u00c1ngel Di Mar\u00eda, 36, a star in his own right and Mr. Messi\u2019s teammate of 16 years, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fifa.com\/en\/the-best-fifa-football-awards\/articles\/di-maria-to-retire-from-argentina-duty-following-copa-america\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">has said<\/a> he will retire from international duty after the three-week competition ends. Other veterans, such as 36-year-old Nicol\u00e1s Otamendi, haven\u2019t specified how much longer they will go on, but age is catching up to this golden generation of Argentine soccer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere\u2019s a bit of fear that it\u2019s all ending,\u201d Mr. Messi said about his career in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/soccer\/story\/_\/id\/40334877\/lionel-messi-inter-miami-last-club-retirement\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a recent television interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final in Qatar, it was the country\u2019s first title since 1986. Another Argentine superstar, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/11\/25\/sports\/soccer\/diego-maradona-dead.html\" title=\"\">Diego Maradona<\/a>, one of the greatest players of all time, led that team to victory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But in his four previous attempts, and through <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/17\/world\/americas\/world-cup-final-messi-argentina.html\" title=\"\">the ups and downs of his relationship with his country<\/a>, Mr. Messi had fallen short in living up to the expectations as Mr. Maradona\u2019s successor. It was the one achievement that had eluded Mr. Messi, who has claimed a record eight Ballons d\u2019Or awards as the world\u2019s best player.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yet when Mr. Messi finally did it, Argentina celebrated unlike ever before. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FernandezAnibal\/status\/1605289427483480072\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Five million people<\/a> \u2014 roughly 10 percent of the country\u2019s population \u2014 <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/18\/sports\/soccer\/argentina-celebration-win.html\" title=\"\">filled the streets of Buenos Aires<\/a> for the national team\u2019s parade, one of the largest events in Argentina\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe experienced the World Cup in a difficult moment,\u201d said Lorena Rovere, 45, a pharmacist in Buenos Aires. \u201cThen we came back to reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Argentina\u2019s economy has been mired in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/23\/world\/americas\/argentina-economy-inflation-javier-milei.html\" title=\"\">a recession for years<\/a> and continues to have one of the world\u2019s highest inflation rates, at roughly <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbvaresearch.com\/en\/publicaciones\/argentina-mays-national-inflation\/#:~:text=INDEC's%20monthly%20national%20inflation%20stood,277.3%25%20y%2Fy).\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">276 percent<\/a> annually. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Sworn into office in December vowing to fix Argentina\u2019s finances, President Javier Milei, a right-wing libertarian, warned that things would get worse before they got better as he instituted a drastic austerity program. He promised to take a \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/12\/world\/americas\/argentina-javier-milei-cuts.html\" title=\"\">chain saw<\/a>\u201d to public spending, blaming it for the country\u2019s economic ills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Unemployment has risen this year, poverty has soared and a growing number of Argentines are finding it difficult to make ends meet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The senate approved a bill this month that Mr. Milei said would make Argentina more attractive to investors by, among other things, paving the way for privatizations and doing away with labor protections. The legislation led to protests and the detention of more than 30 people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">To many Argentines, watching Mr. Messi and Co. dart around a soccer field, perhaps for a nostalgic final run together, provides a much welcomed, if momentary, respite.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt won\u2019t solve our country\u2019s deeper issues,\u201d said Gabriel del Rio, 45, a youth soccer coach and a city traffic light inspector in Buenos Aires. He said his 27-year-old son recently started the application process to obtain an Italian passport, and he believes that living abroad could be the answer for his 16-year-old daughter, too, because of the limited opportunities in Argentina.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But soccer \u201cdoes provide a temporary joy to people,\u201d Mr. Del Rio said. \u201cThe players understand this; they knew it during the World Cup and now with Copa Am\u00e9rica. It\u2019s about giving people a brief distraction, something to enjoy amid ongoing challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Manuel Pe\u00f1alba, 21, a university student in Buenos Aires who works as a freelance video editor, said Argentina \u201cdeserved\u201d the World Cup title given the country\u2019s problems. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He said he plans to watch all of Argentina\u2019s Copa Am\u00e9rica games with friends. They will have to rely on television broadcasts since all the matches in the tournament, run by the South American soccer confederation Conmebol, will be played in the United States, for the second time in the competition\u2019s 108-year history. That is part of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/01\/27\/sports\/soccer\/copa-america-2024.html\" title=\"\">an agreement<\/a> with Concacaf, the confederation governing the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In addition to the United States and Canada, this year\u2019s Copa Am\u00e9rica invitees from outside of South America include Mexico, Panama, Jamaica and Costa Rica.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Beyond <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/01\/27\/sports\/soccer\/copa-america-2024.html\" title=\"\">the obvious financial benefits<\/a> of playing in the United States, Copa Am\u00e9rica is also a tuneup for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Messi has more recently become noncommittal about playing in the next installment, when he will be 39, an age he has admitted makes it difficult to compete at that level.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In a recent interview with ESPN Argentina, Mr. Messi said he thinks his current club, Inter Miami, will be his final one. (Last year, he surprised many when he <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/07\/15\/sports\/soccer\/lionel-messi-inter-miami-mls.html\" title=\"\">signed<\/a> with <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/07\/21\/sports\/soccer\/messi-inter-miami.html\" title=\"\">Inter Miami of Major League Soccer<\/a>, a relatively new league in North America, after two decades of playing in more talented leagues in Europe, with Barcelona and Paris-St. Germain.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But winning the World Cup has breathed new life into Mr. Messi. After struggling to win for Argentina \u2014 he briefly retired from the national team after losing the World Cup final to Germany in 2014, and the Copa Am\u00e9rica finals to Chile in 2015 and 2016 \u2014 <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elfinanciero.com.mx\/deportes\/2023\/12\/03\/lionel-messi-habla-sobre-el-torneo-de-2026-y-la-copa-america-define-sus-grupos\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">he has said<\/a> he wants to be around now more than ever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI\u2019m aware that there\u2019s not a lot of time left,\u201d he told <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.ar\/futbol\/mundial\/nota\/_\/id\/13775588\/lionel-messi-entrevista-espn-programa-especial-tv-inter-miami-mi-ultimo-club\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">ESPN<\/a> recently.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Lionel Scaloni, the coach of the Argentine team, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TelemundoSports\/status\/1798780916459860180\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">told<\/a> Telemundo Deportes this month that \u201cwe Argentines are too melancholic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe are already thinking about the day when he\u2019s gone when he\u2019s still playing,\u2019\u2019 he added. \u201cLet\u2019s enjoy him and we\u2019ll see tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Alejandro Wall, an Argentine sports journalist who has written seven soccer books, including <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.planetadelibros.com\/libro-el-mundial-de-messi-y-de-la-argentina-de-scaloni\/376085\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">one<\/a> about Mr. Messi last year, said it was hard to imagine a national team without Mr. Messi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But, he added, the team was already entering \u201ca moment of transition,\u201d with Mr. Di Mar\u00eda retiring, Mr. Messi logging fewer minutes and talented younger players emerging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cTo a large extent, Messi is going to test himself in this Copa Am\u00e9rica,\u201d Mr. Wall said, \u201cand see how he comes out of it to see what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many fans said they hoped that Mr. Messi would hold on for a little bit longer, even if only as a lesser-used player, for the next World Cup. Saying goodbye is hard. He could still provide a few more smiles back home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe team knows how to play without Messi,\u201d Mr. Pe\u00f1alba said. \u201cIt\u2019s the end of an era. It\u2019s painful, but it\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/20\/world\/americas\/messi-copa-america-argentina-soccer.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Thursday in Atlanta, the Argentine national soccer team will kick off the 2024 edition of Copa Am\u00e9rica, South America\u2019s biggest soccer championship, with a game against Canada. Fans around the world, but especially in Argentina, have been eagerly awaiting this day ever since their beloved squad, led by perhaps the greatest soccer player of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":77531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/20\/world\/20argentina-soccer-promo\/20argentina-soccer-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2622,739,45957,5113,10032,1265],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77530"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77530"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77532,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77530\/revisions\/77532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}