Messi takes center stage again during the Copa

ATLANTA— World champions Argentina get an extended Copa America underway on Thursday (Friday in Manila), with Lionel Messi looking for a second continental title in what is almost certainly his last appearance in the tournament.

The 108-year-old competition is held in the United States, with the host nation consisting of six teams from the Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) region. 14 final in Miami.

While FIFA will be looking closely at the organization of the event two years after the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, the tournament’s rich history and prestige means it is much, much more than a “trial event.”

Argentina have won the Copa 15 times but only once, in 2021, during the Messi era and coach Lionel Scaloni has largely stuck with his World Cup-winning side, with veterans Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi likely taking their final bows in a major tournament.

Whether this is Messi’s farewell to top international football remains to be seen – the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who now plays in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, will be released four days after Thursday’s opening match in Atlanta against Canada 37 years old and yet to do so. decide whether he will attempt to compete in a record sixth World Cup.

“It’s great to have records and keep achieving things, but I won’t participate in a World Cup just to say I’ve done six,” Messi told ESPN last week.

“If I feel good and everything is ready to be there, fine, but I’m not just going to go. It’s very difficult to imagine what can happen because it’s still two years away. I don’t have to commit to this moment whether I will be there or not,” he added.

What is certain is that Messi, who has managed his workload to be in top condition for the tournament, would seize the opportunity to win a major tournament with his country for the third time in a row, after so many years of frustration with his national team.