The captain of the Argentine national team is turning 37 this Monday: in commemoration we review his history with the national team and all the achievements he obtained.
Lionel Messithe captain of the Argentine National Team and one of the best players in the history of football, turns 37 this Monday. Once again, perhaps for the last time in his career, he blew out the candles at the national team’s concentration while competing in the America Cup.
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Below, a review of the best moments of Lionel Messi in the Selectionwhich became his favorite place to play in recent years:
- U-20 World Cup 2005: his first big appearance with the light blue and white. He had an incredible participation, in which he scored six goals and distributed two assists.
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Messi celebrates a goal in the 2005 U-20 World Cup
He scored in every instance, including a great goal in the semis against Brazil and a double in the final against Nigeria. All this allowed him to win the Ballon d’Or for Best Player and the Golden Boot for being the top scorer.
- His World Cup debut: During the second presentation of the Argentine National Team in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Messi made his debut in this type of competition, which would end up becoming his great obsession over the years.
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Messi celebrates his first goal in a World Cup with the Argentine team
At only 18 years old, “La Pulga” entered from the substitute bench before a euphoric Diego Armando Maradona who was celebrating among the public and scored the 6-0 that closed the win against Serbia and Montenegro.
- 2008 Olympic Games: Messi’s second great achievement with the National Team would also come with a youth category. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, surrounded by a top-level team, he won the gold medal after beating Nigeria in the final.
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Messi at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
- Brazil World Cup 2014: Messi’s first great performance in a World Cup, after the hard blows in Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010.
The player from Rosario scored four goals (all in the group stage) and an assist to Ángel Di María in the round of 16 to beat Switzerland in the final.
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Messi after the 2014 World Cup final
Messi’s hope in this World Cup ended in the final, in which they lost 1-0 to Germany in a match where Alejandro Sabella’s team had the best opportunities but failed to take advantage of them.
- Triplet against Ecuador and qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia: The Argentine National Team was on the verge of being left out of the 2018 World Cup, after some very weak Qualifiers.
They arrived at the last match against Ecuador with the noose around their necks and, furthermore, in that match their rivals took the lead before the minute of play. But Messi brought out his entire hierarchy, scored a hat trick and sealed Argentina’s qualification for the World Cup.
- Brazil Copa America 2021: the tournament where the history of Messi in the Argentine National Team changed forever.
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Messi explodes with happiness after winning the Copa América 2021
With an incredible performance, in which he scored four goals and gave five assists, Messi was able to captain the “Albiceleste” to its first title in 28 years and the man from Rosario managed to remove his great thorn: winning a title with the senior team.
- Finalissima 2022: In one of the best games of the Scaloni cycle, Messi won his second major title with the national team after beating Italy 3-0.
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Messi with the Finalissima 2022 trophy
- Qatar World Cup 2022: Messi produced one of the best individual performances in the history of the World Cup (he scored seven goals and gave three assists), winning the best final in the history of the World Cup and taking the National Team to the top of the world after 36 years.
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Messi at the top, with the World Cup
- Reception of the champions at El Monumental: After the conquest in Qatar 2022, the National Team returned to play in front of its people and one of the most emotional moments was experienced in recent years thanks to the incredible reception from the public.
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Messi celebrates in front of thousands of Argentines at the Monumental with the World Cup
