Updated to Tuesday 18.6.2024 12:12hs
The 2011 Copa América was not a good experience for the Argentine National Team, despite being the host, the Albiceleste team did not perform well.
By then, the AFA organization determined that one of the venues for the continental tournament would be the Colón field, in the city of Santa Fe. Two games were played by the team led by Sergio Batista in the provincial capital.
Lionel Messi remembered the first of them in the last few hours. In an interview they did with him on a streaming program, the Argentine captain recalled one of the most difficult moments of his career.
The table, which includes a nephew of Rosario, asked him about an insult he had received and Messi recalled it.
“None in particular, but I do remember that in the 2011 Copa América in Argentina when we played in Santa Fe they told me and the entire National Team everything. It was quite hard. I don’t know if it’s clever or not, but they called me names in all sorts of ways,” he noted.
Bad memories
All the anticipation from Santa Fe and its surroundings translated into a packed Colón field. Of course, everyone wanted to see Messi and company. However, disappointment overcame the locals as the minutes passed.
The chronicles of those days speak of superiority in possession of the ball but few goal situations. Lavezzi had a chance in the first after a pass from Messi but he defined poorly. The visitors also had their chances to open the scoring but went into the break tied.
In the second half, Batista reached into the bench and brought on Fernando Gago, Sergio Agüero and Gonzalo Higuaín, but reality did not change.
The Argentine bad news was felt from all sides. Even that war cry sounded that the albiceleste partisanship sang in the ’90s and identified in the figure of Diego Maradona, a true symbol of the National Team.
The referee’s final whistle determined the second consecutive tie and confirmation of the complicated outlook for the team led by Batista.
The title that would break the curse came 10 years later, with Messi himself as a figure.
It was the legendary Maracaná in Rio de Janeiro when the team led by Lionel Scaloni beat Brazil 1-0 with a goal from Di María, another one that was vindicated.
That trophy was the first for Lionel Messi in the senior team and marked the beginning of his golden cycle: then he was crowned in the Finalissima against Italy and, a year and a half later, he won the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
“I needed to get rid of it and achieve something with the National Team. I knew that at some point it was going to happen,” Messi declared after the victory at the Maracaná.
And he added: “This group really deserved it. I had a lot of trust in this group, which became stronger with very good people who always push forward, who never complain about anything. They were locked up for many days without seeing their family. Luckily it was given to us and we were able to be champions.”
