Lionel Messi didn't cop out; merely accepted that Argentina glory is beyond him

See it again. Frame by frame. Freeze every millisecond in your memory. The close up of the face, the scraggly beard, the furrow between the eyes. The amble to the penalty box as MetLife stadium held its collective breath. What struck me as I kept the replay on loop was Lionel Messi’s reaction after his kick sailed high into the New Jersey sky. Even as the ball was well on its upward trajectory after narrowly missing the crossbar and six-foot-one Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo still suspended in mid-air having dived in the opposite direction, Messi, in that whiff of a nanosecond, turned around in utter disdain almost as if to erase from memory what had just happened. If the 11 years of non-achievement (Messi made his debut for La Albiceleste in 2005 at 18 years of age) had condensed itself into one white heat of immense pain, Messi was trying to prevent it from piercing his heart. And then it came crashing down. The stadium erupted in utter disbelief, Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, an Argentine, clinched his jaws and fists and Messi tugged desperately at his blue-white stripes — the shirt that now stands irrevocably between him and true greatness. The furrows deepened, the teeth gnashed, the jaws locked and Messi slowly put his hands up to cover the face.

It was a moment of profound sadness, not just for perhaps the best footballer of all time but also for us. We will forever be crippled by the tyranny of statistics from placing on Messi’s head the crown that we, who have seen him in action, know that he deserves. And shall be forced to add a qualifier before calling him the ‘GOAT’. “He’s like a PlayStation,” Arsene Wenger once said of Messi after the Barcelona superstar scored four goals against Arsenal in a 2010 Champions League tie. Football pundit Jonathan Liew, writing for the Telegraph, during a debate over the greatest of all time, said of Messi, “…even at half-throttle, he was still the most amazing sight to watch. His legs move like pistons. His shoulders occasionally appear to be moving in different directions at once. He spots passes that don’t exist until he’s played them. There may have been better players in the past — although personally, I doubt it — but none who has been quite as exhilaratingly pleasurable to watch.” But for all his artistry, magical footwork, jinking runs, balance, composure, control, dribbling, selflessness, passing ability, power, strength, speed and a sublime peripheral vision, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who was representing his country for the 112th time, has failed to deliver silverware despite appearing in four finals: The 2014 World Cup against Germany and three Copa Americas, in 2007, 2015 and 2016. [caption id=“attachment_2858594” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts after the Copa America Centenario. AP[/caption] Sporting icons are keenly aware of their place among the pantheon of all-time greats. Messi, who has lived with the tag of greatness virtually as soon as he started kicking that white circular object on a football field, understands more than anyone else the futility of one more try. His decision to retire from international football therefore should come as no surprise. “My thinking right now and thinking about it in the locker room, I’m done playing with the national team,” he had said. Asked if he were retiring, the 29-year-old said, “I tried my hardest. It’s been four finals, and I was not able to win. I tried everything possible. It hurts me more than anyone, but it is evident that this is not for me. I want more than anyone to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately, it did not happen.” Asked once again by reporters who were quite clearly, too stunned to react, Messi said, “I don’t think so…I’ve thought about it. Like I said earlier, I tried everything possible to win. And that’s it. It’s four finals lost.” Messi, even when drowned in the depths of despair, has always managed to wear his disappointments with a degree of stoicism as he has his moments of triumph. But not for Messi today an indifference to the vicissitudes of pleasure and pain. Teammates, including goalkeeper Sergio Romero and striker Sergio Aguero let on how hopelessness can beat even the best of us. Teammates, including goalkeeper Sergio Romero and striker Sergio Aguero let on how hopelessness can beat even the best of us. “I think that Leo spoke in the heat of the moment because a good opportunity passed us by,” Romero said. “Lamentably, the most f***ed up is Leo because of the penalty,” Aguero said. “It’s the worst I’ve seen him in the dressing room.” A huge churning awaits Argentina’s national team next, with Aguero, Javier Mascherano, Lucas Biglia (who missed the decisive penalty) Ezequiel Lavezzi, Angel di Maria and the luckless Gonzalo Higuain all  considering their international future . Quitting isn’t a cop-out though. It is not that escapism that human beings seek when confronted with pain they cannot bear. It is borne out of a deeper understanding that certain things are not to be. The hand of god that guided Diego Maradona deserted Messi when he needed it the most. Quitting is merely an acceptance.