Lionel Messi is a man of few words, and mixed zones, those interview areas where the world’s best players very rarely say anything, let alone anything of note, are usually quiet places.
So you can imagine the furore when the very best player in the world walked down into the vast grey corridors of the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and picked that time and place to retire from international football with Argentina .
“It’s tough, it’s not the time for analysis,” he told shocked reporters, not long after missing a shoot-out penalty in the final of the Copa America. “In the dressing room I thought that this is the end for me with the national team, it’s not for me. That’s the way I feel right now, it’s a huge sadness once again and I missed the penalty that was so important.
“I tried so hard to be a champion with Argentina. But it didn’t happen. I couldn’t do it. I think it’s best for everyone, for me and for many people who want it. The choice for me is over, it is a decision. I tried many times to be a champion but was not able to be.”
The Copa America Centenario was effectively a bonus; staged to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the oldest international football tournament on the planet, it provided an extra opportunity for Argentina, and for Messi in particular, to get the monkey off their backs and finally win a trophy.