The crowd outside the St. Regis hotel in downtown Washington DC had grown in the hundreds. Fans clad in Argentina’s home blue-and-white kit waited outside the team hotel of the world champions for nearly three hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi.
The flashing lights of the police patrol cars confused passersby who had no idea Messi was in town. There was yellow crime scene tape that blocked off the intersections, which further disoriented tourists.
Advertisement
Andy Pendoley, 50, his wife Elaine, 48, and their two adolescent children were visiting from San Diego and had feared the worst.
“There are so many horrible things that you could come across among a crowd,” Elaine said. “It’s so exciting and such a relief to see something positive and fun that people are celebrating.”
“We don’t mind if we can’t get to our hotel,” added Andy. “We’re on vacation. It was fun and unexpected to get a glimpse. It’s wonderful to just be in the crowd with people who are passionate about the (Argentina) team.”
One year after his U.S. arrival with Inter Miami, Messi still garners a unique adoration in nearly every city he visits. The scenes in DC on Thursday night are a sign of what the Copa America will be like when Argentina travels throughout the East Coast as the tournament’s defending champions.
Messi and Argentina beat Guatemala 4-1 on Friday at the NFL’s Commander Stadium in front of 51,713 fans. Messi scored twice, his 107th and 108th goals for his country, which tied him for second all-time men’s international list with Iran’s Ali Daei. Messi, 36, added an assist in a 90-minute performance that settled any doubts about his match fitness. Argentina have not lost a friendly since 2019 and enter the Copa America as clear favorites to defend their title from 2021.
Argentina spent a week in Miami as part of a pre-tournament training camp. They turned Inter Miami’s training facility into their hub, soaking up the sun and their celebrity status in South Florida. Messi sat down for interviews with Argentine outlets, in which he admitted that Inter Miami could be his last club and spoke candidly about his looming retirement.
“I don’t think I am (prepared to leave football) either,” Messi told ESPN Argentina. “All my life I’ve done this, I love playing ball and I enjoy training and the day-to-day of matches. I am a bit scared of it all ending, that’s always there.”
Advertisement
With a World Cup to his name, Messi is more comfortable sharing his true emotions. He told Diario Ole of Argentina that he had begun to see a psychologist as a player for Barcelona, a club where he won 34 titles and seven Ballon d’Or trophies as the world’s best player.
“I was very reluctant at first,” Messi said. “I’m someone who keeps everything bottled up. But, when I went, it did me a lot of good.”
Messi’s status for the 2026 World Cup in North America remains uncertain. He will be 39 when the group stage begins in two years but the possibility that he will play in his sixth World Cup with Argentina is still on.
Read more on Copa America 2024
“There is still a long time until the tournament, but it goes quickly,” said Messi. “I don’t know how I will be and if I feel I will be at the level to help my team-mates.”
Even though he is fearful about the notion of ending his playing career, Messi has never been more secure in his skin. After the win over Guatemala, Messi reassured the people of Argentina that the world champions are as hungry as ever to win another trophy.
“We’ve been working as hard as we always have, with the same intensity in every training session,” said Messi. “Before every tournament we play, I always say we’ll continue to give everything. We want to continue to win. It gets harder every time. We’re going to go for it again.”
🎥 ¡Qué golazo, capitán! 🔟⚽pic.twitter.com/C1quqc1NTR
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) June 15, 2024
This week, Argentina national team sponsor YPF released a pre-Copa America video featuring Messi, in which he sends an emotional message to the country. Wearing Argentina’s kit and the captain’s armband, Messi taps the badge above his heart and wills his compatriots to join him and his team-mates in their quest to retain the trophy.
Advertisement
“Let’s do this together again,” Messi says before a dramatic cut to black.
There is a sense that this Copa America could be Messi’s last tournament. That possibility means the end of a marvelous era in football is close to its end. It could inspire the Argentina team to make history again.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Messi’s team-mates, who idolize him like billions of people, used his past failures at the international level as a motivating factor to win the tournament. That desire to play for Messi at all costs will make a formidable team even stronger this summer.
“The secret to this group of players is our humility,” said Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez last week. “We know what we’ve won and how important it is. We’re still hungry to win more, but the important thing is to stay grounded. That’s what is characteristic about this group.”
Argentina were sloppy at the start against Guatemala but the win served as a necessary momentum builder. After a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in a November World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s confidence was rattled. They have since won five consecutive matches, including a win over arch-rivals Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.
They remain possession-dominant under Lionel Scaloni, with Messi playing much closer to goal as a second striker. The projected midfield three for the start of the Copa America of Alexis Mac Alister (Liverpool), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid) and Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) have developed a chemistry that allows Messi to roam freely in the final third.
Despite their star-studded 26-man squad, their collective personality under Scaloni is built around the basics of modern football: dictate the tempo and generate numerical superiority throughout the pitch.
“In every game, we try to be a difficult team to beat, a competitive and hardened team,” said Argentina and Nottingham Forest full-back Gonzalo Montiel. “We try to play within our philosophy and always play forward.”
Advertisement
It is all preparation for a tricky tournament opener on Thursday in Atlanta against Canada, now coached by American Jesse Marsch, who are making their bow in the Copa.
“Canada is a good team,” Scaloni said. “I’d say that they’re one of our most important opponents. They’ve just played in a World Cup and have top-level players.”
Argentina’s training camp in Miami was unorthodox because the players had the freedom to see family and friends, and enjoy the Florida sun and the city’s nightlife. They will now be secluded from those perks as Argentina seek to win their fourth consecutive international trophy under Scaloni.
Opening round matches against Canada, Chile and Peru along the East Coast will set the stage for what could be another milestone for Messi — and a farewell as Argentina’s captain.
(Top photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)