New Delhi: Lionel Messi’s hope of lifting the first title with Argentina ended the moment he missed the penalty shot in the final match of the Copa America Centenario football tournament against Chile.
With Argentina facing a tragic 4-2 defeat to Chile, Messi, with a broken heart and tears in his eyes, fell to his knees, putting his head on the turf.
The heartbreak forced the 29-yer-old star player to quit international football. The decision came as a shock not only to Argentina but to the whole world.
Messi, five-time FIFA Player of the Year, winner of four Champions League titles and eight Spanish La Liga crowns with Barcelona, was crushed. Much of his nation had counted on him to bring home its first major title since 1993.
Playing two days after his 29th birthday, Messi lost a final for the third year in a row and the fourth time overall with Argentina. There was also the 2007 Copa final with Brazil, when he was still a wunderkind, and then an extra-time defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup.
