Atlanta The first cheer came from the crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, or at least from those who had already taken their seats, ninety minutes before kickoff. Nothing was happening on the pitch. However, the stadium’s enormous wraparound screen provided the spectators with their first look at Lionel Messi as he entered the arena grinning with teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
The initial Copa América match between Argentina and Canada was, theoretically, played on neutral territory. As a result of their 2-0 victory that evening, La Albiceleste actually moved into the stadiums of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United.
This crowd came to watch Messi and Argentina. Messi’s name was greeted with another roar an hour after his arrival as the world champions warmed up and the starting XI was announced. When he scored during shooting drills, there were even more applause. Although Argentina’s roster has too many talented players, led by coach Lionel Scaloni, to focus just on the 36-year-old Messi, this is still Messi’s side.
Canada tried their hardest to ruin the celebration as they made their Copa América debut. They had an incredibly impressive first forty-five minutes; Jonathan David and Cyle Larin were a formidable front line, while skipper Alphonso Davies was a lightning-fast threat down the left. They regret it to this day because they did not take their chances.
In the 49th minute, Messi produced a brilliant ball that only the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner could envision, much less execute, which led to Argentina’s breakthrough. With goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau sprinting out, his brilliant pass to midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, whose bold, deft touch made it 1-0 for Julián Álvarez.
Thereafter, Messi had two excellent opportunities to end the match. The 65th minute saw him close to the goal. Crepeau made a great save. Derek Cornelius, a defender, blocked Messi’s follow-up after he collected the rebound and danced around Crépeau. With an expression of incredulity, Messi laughed. The assembly called out his name. After a quarter of an hour, Messi and Crépeau were facing off once more. He missed the mark with his shot this time.
For Messi, the Copa América has meant everything. His career as an international football player came to an abrupt end in 2016 due to his inability to participate in the penalty shootout loss to Chile in the championship game held in New Jersey.
The day he announced, “For me, the national team is over, I’ve done all I can. He had not, and it was not.
After a few months, Messi returned, and by 2021, he had defeated the Brazilians in the Copa final. A weight was removed, and Argentina’s new golden age had begun. They became victorious from the World Cup in Qatar eighteen months later.
This is, in essence, still that same team. Eight of these XI started the World Cup final in December 2022. Of those that didn’t, Marcos Acuña and Leandro Paredes came on as substitutes. Messi, two years older and now based in Florida with Inter Miami, remains the heartbeat. Starting against Canada means he has now played in seven Copa América tournaments. No player has featured in more games in this competition, 35 and counting. Here, he faced Canada with the overwhelming majority of the 70,564 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium cheering him on in what felt like a game being played in Buenos Aires, not Atlanta. It didn’t seem entirely fair.
Still, the atmosphere was more celebratory than hostile. That was helped by an entertaining, open first half with chances for both teams. Canada’s best were created by Davies — Tajon Buchanan put one shot wide, David saw another blocked — until Stephen Eustáquio’s point-blank header was saved by Emiliano Martínez before halftime.
Subsequently, Álvarez scored the game’s first goal with just his second shot. Messi’s pass that came before it defied reasoning. Before Mac Allister could even start running in behind, Messi played the ball. And still, Mac Allister was at its extremity. Álvarez completed the task. A goal from Messi was now all that was needed. With those two unexpected and frustrating misses, he came up short, but he did manage to get an assist, setting up replacement Lautaro Martínez with a nonchalantly beautiful ball to seal the victory and give the Copa América holders a winning start.
Crépeau made a stop on Messi’s final attempt of the game, a free kick that was just outside the box. He had failed to score. However, he had contributed significantly to five big chances and goals by the end of the match. Chile will play next at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday.
Messi told ESPN last week that there is some concern that it’s all coming to an end. I make an effort to have fun with it. Since I know there isn’t much time left, I do that more these days.
Whether or not this is Messi’s final international competition is unknown. Regarding his attendance at the 2026 World Cup, which will be primarily hosted in the United States, he has remained hesitant. However, it appears quite possible that this is his final Copa América.
When asked about Messi and teammate Ángel Di María on Wednesday, coach Scaloni responded, It doesn’t make much sense to think about when they’re gone. Let’s enjoy them now.”
Indeed, those present in Atlanta did. There will be more as this event is only getting begun.
