da bet7： GOAL revisits THAT fateful night when Lionel Messi seemed to convince himself and the world he would retire from the Argentina national team

da winzada777： "My thinking right now, and thinking about it in the locker room, I'm done playing with the national team."

Those words shook the world in 2016. Lionel Messi – the world's greatest player – was left flabbergasted and speechless after the full-time whistle. The Copa America final, Argentina's second in as many years, slipped from their grasp once again.

"I tried my hardest," said a disconsolate Messi. "It's been four finals, and I was not able to win. I tried everything possible. It hurts me more than anyone, but it is evident that this is not for me. I want more than anyone to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately, it did not happen."

A 2014 FIFA World Cup final, three Copa America finals – with the third being that dreadful evening at MetLife Stadium in June of 2016, a loss in penalties to Chile – were weighing on his then 29-year-old mind. The Argentine was asked, one last time, if he would ever again wear the crest of

"I don't think so," he replied, with tears on his face. "I've thought about it. Like I said earlier, I tried everything possible to win. And that's it. It's four finals lost."

Distraught over his performance, Messi had convinced the world – and himself, seemingly – that he was done. No longer would he represent his country on the international stage, and no longer would he wear the crest of Argentina on the pitch.

Goosebumps covering arms, cottonmouth on their tongues, the world read and watched as the then-Barcelona superstar expressed an unforgettable moment of vulnerability.

Now, eight years from that moment, the Inter Miami star is set to lead once again as captain. Copa America 2024 is here, and Argentina arrives as the reigning World Champion from the 2022 World Cup, ready to kickoff the tournament against Canada Thursday night in Atlanta.

But this storyline wasn’t always a given. Everything could be so, so different. What if Messi really did opt to retire in 2016? For at least two months, the world was convinced he did.

GOAL revisits those harrowing two months from 2016, and tries to answer a question that has loomed over international soccer since that memorable night: What the hell happened after that Copa America final at MetLife Stadium, and will we truly ever know?

Getty ImagesThe breaking point

Rewind back to 2007, when a 20-year-old Messi was the starlet of world soccer, crafting his trade at Barcelona alongside the likes of Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Deco, Xavi, Iniesta – you get the point.

He was the darling of the Catalan club, and dubbed the next superstar in the making. Already with two years of international experience under his belt with , the attacker was the centerpiece for his nation on the international stage.

Just one year prior, he was even representing them at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. But an early exit in the quarterfinals saw Argentina depart in disappointing fashion, falling to Germany in a penalty shootout. So 2007 was supposed to be redemption for Argentina and Messi, as he was making his Copa America debut and looking to lead his country to his first international title.

Things were going great.

The 20-year-old bagged a goal and notched two assists en-route to the final, and their confidence was as high as ever despite preparing to go toe-to-toe with Brazil.

The confidence was short-lived. The Selecao thumped Argentina 3-0 in an utterly dominating performance, and that began what would become a multi-year title drought on the international stage for Messi.

In the span of nine years leading up to the moment in which he would declare his retirement, Messi would lead his national team to three Copa America finals – all of which they lost: 2007 to Brazil, 2015 to Chile, and 2016 to Chile, again.

To add to it, he found himself on the verge of lifting the FIFA World Cup in 2014, too, only to once again, fall in a final on the international stage. Four finals, four losses. And the last string came in 2016. That Copa America, that's the one that seemingly broke him.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHAT night at MetLife

Messi had played his role in the previous three finals, without a hiccup, without a disastrous moment, without a true flaw. Not in 2016, though. He finally slipped up, and the weight on his shoulders to carry his nation finally got to him.

The 2016 Copa America final was a contested match. Both teams saw red before halftime, with Chile’s Marcelo Diaz being removed 28 minutes in and Argentina’s Marcos Rojo just 15 minutes later. Neither side could unlock their attack, and they played to a 0-0 draw over the course of 120 minutes.

For the second-straight year, Argentina and Chile were heading to a penalty shootout to decide who would win the Copa America. Just one year prior, Messi bagged his penalty, but his entire team let him down as not one other player converted from the spot, with the Chileans claiming a 4-1 victory in the shootout.

Once again, Messi would step up first for his country in the shootout. Their leader, captain and most composed finisher; he was nearly a guaranteed goal from the spot. He even had the advantage, as Chile's Arturo Vidal missed his kick on the opening penalty.

Messi stepped up. Messi kicked. High and wide.

The camera panned to fans in the crowd, speechless, jaws dropped, hands on their head. And then to Messi himself, distraught. The Argentine tugged at the bottom of his shirt, head down, throwing his fists into the air in frustration. Chile went on to win 4-2 in the shootout, and disaster ensued.

Getty ImagesA speechless evening

Though just 29, the Argentine gave up on his dreams in the lockerroom after the final whistle. All present witnessed it, none moreso than longtime friend and teammate Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City legend was at a loss for words when describing what happened after the final whistle as they found themselves speechless in the dressing room.

"Some (players) in the locker room are looking really bad; I don't think they'll continue with the national team. If you think about it, creating opportunities for other players is a good thing for the national team,” Aguero said to ESPN at the time.. "Lamentably, the most f—ed up is Leo, because of the penalty. It's the worst I've seen him in the dressing room.

"We are hurting because of Messi — there's no explanation to what happened to him. He tried it all to get the championship for us. I really don't know how to explain [the loss]. We tried and did everything we could do and out of the past two finals this has been the toughest one to swallow. I truly don't know what the other players are thinking, but I've never seen anything like what I saw today.”

Elvio Paolorosso, who was the team's strength coach, later told ESPN that he found Messi after the match sobbing uncontrollably.

"The scene in the dressing room after that Copa America was very painful, but the worst came afterward,” he said. “Around 2 in the morning, more or less, I found Leo in front of his locker alone, completely alone, crying like a baby who had lost his mother. He was hunched over there, and no one could console him. So I just put my arm around him and the two of us cried together."

In the two months that followed, , their supporters and soccer fans all around the world were equally distraught.

Nobody knew what the future would look like for South American soccer, and one of the world’s most historic national teams. it was genuine turmoil. They key words there, though?

Getty ImagesNo te vayas, Leo

Signs all around Argentina, hashtags on social media. fans in the streets, posters at matches – a movement had begun, defined by one single phrase: "No te vayas, Leo.” Don’t go, Messi.

The champion of La Albiceleste, the talismanic figure of the country’s game, Messi's fans from all around the world were begging on their knees for their No.10 to change his mind. In the two months that followed, there was constant speculation as to what would happen with the Barcelona star.

The game felt broken without him. Argentina was one of the most important teams in international soccer, and they were missing their most important puzzle piece. Eventually, Messi realized that, too.