Fan dies at wild Messi celebrations in Argentina
Lionel Messi and Argentina release ecstasy with Copa America victory, but sad scenes in Miami and at home. A fan dies. While the football world wonders if Messi will continue in the title rush.
Lionel Messi wept uncontrollably and was filled with helplessness. With pain in his thick ankle and his football soul, the captain of the Argentine national team had to rely on his teammates in the third major title of Albiceleste since 2021. Successfully. "One more", Messi posted on Instagram after the Copa America final - huge Copa trophy in his arms, left and right.
1100 days after the first triumph at the Copa America, Argentina won again on Sunday (local time) in Miami with Messi on the bench from the 66th minute. "Leo was born to stand on the football field", said National Coach Lionel Scaloni. "He never wants to leave because he doesn't want to leave his teammates behind." Against Colombia, he had to show images of his heavily swollen right ankle, which did not bode well.
In Messi's new football homeland, Qatar, his unique career could crown another title. With a 1:0 (0:0) victory, Argentina won the final, which was accompanied by chaotic conditions. The game could not be started for almost 90 minutes because fans without tickets tried to enter Hard Rock Stadium. The alarming images immediately raised security concerns for the 2026 Football World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
"Without Messi, with drama"
Whether Messi will continue to play for Argentina remains open. "These are the last battles. We should enjoy everything as a national team", he had said before the final. In the summer of 2026, Messi will be 39 years old. After the final victory, he remained silent about this.
Messi hoisted the trophy with the help of his long-term teammates Angel di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi in the Miami sky. The only goal of a hard-fought match was scored by Lautaro Martinez in the 112th minute.
"All for one", wrote the broadcaster "TyCSports". "Without Messi, with drama", it said in "Clarin". The scenes of the distraught Messi on the bench also made the rounds in Messi's former homeland Spain, despite the EM triumph on Sunday in Berlin. "Messi's incredible sadness: He collapses... and can't stop crying even on the bench", wrote the sports newspaper "Marca". But at least with the final whistle, it was only joyful tears.
Fan dies before the final
And even at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, the next football party was already starting. Thousands of fans celebrated in the center of the Argentine capital the victory of the national team. Some refused to give up Avenida 9 de Julio for work traffic in the early morning hours. The police eventually used water cannons against them, as shown on TV.
Before the game, there was a tragic accident. A football fan had climbed onto a planted advertising billboard for Buenos Aires near the Obelisk and finally fallen from a height of six meters. The 29-year-old died, according to the newspaper "La Nacion".
With 16 Copa titles, Argentina is now the record champion. World champion and long-time rival Brazil has been powerless against the might of blue and white for some time. And Messi, after a long battle for recognition since his move as a 13-year-old to Barcelona, has long won the hearts of his fellow countrymen.
Reunion with Yamal?
Whether Messi will meet Yamal again remains to be seen.
Hanging there after 186 international matches with 109 goals, two more years until the WM, in order to defend the title? If so, it would also mean a reunion of two football generations in the coming year. The date and location for the Finalissima are still not fixed, but the two teams are: Argentina and Spain, following their EM triumph on Sunday in Berlin against England.
18 years after a photo shoot, it could be a reunion between Messi and the Spanish shooting star Lamine Yamal from Messi's heart club, FC Barcelona. In 2007, Messi bathed Yamal in baby clothes during a photo shoot and lovingly wrapped him in a blanket in his arms.
- Despite his injury and eventual substitution, Lionel Messi's teammates in the Argentine national soccer team managed to secure another Copa America victory, with Messi celebrating on Instagram, expressing his desire for "one more" title.
- Even as Argentina celebrates its recent soccer success, a sad incident occurred in Miami prior to the final match, with a fan tragically losing his life after climbing onto an advertising billboard near the Obelisk.
