«He was born to be on the pitch.»
Lionel Messi pumped his arms. The trophy bounced up and down in his grasp. Tears of frustration from an hour or so earlier had turned to laughs and hugs for the two-time Copa America champion and World Cup winner.
Messi was forced to watch much of the second half and extra time because of a leg injury. Still, Argentina won its second straight Copa America championship, beating Colombia 1-0 Sunday night on Lautaro Martínez’s 112th-minute goal.
“Leo is the greatest player in history,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter. “He never wants to leave the pitch. He has a swollen ankle and wants to keep playing. I prefer those players. He wants to play not because he is egotistical or selfish. He wants to keep playing because he doesn’t want to leave his teammates. … He was born to be on the pitch.”
Messi appeared to sustain a non-contact injury while running and falling in the 64th minute. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner covered his face with his hands as he sat on the bench and sobbed.
Martínez later ran to that bench to hug his 37-year-old captain after the goal that propelled Argentina to its record 16th Copa title.
Appearing to be limping after the final whistle sounded well past midnight, Messi beckoned for his senior teammates to lift the trophy with him: 36-year-old Nicolás Ottamendi and Ángel Di María, who is retiring from the national team. As white confetti cascaded, the trio hugged.
“The truth is, it’s hard to describe,” Di Maria said. “It was written like that. I told the guys last night at dinner that I dreamt it. That’s why I said it was my last Copa America. I dreamt we made it to the final and we won it so I could go out this way.
“I’ll be always grateful to this generation who gave me everything, helped me win what I always wanted and today, I am leaving like this,” Di Maria said. “It could not be better.”
In a match that started 1 hour, 22 minutes late because of crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won its third straight major title following the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup and matched Spain, which won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships around the 2010 World Cup.
