The star Lionel Messi celebrated his 37th birthday this Monday with the Argentina team, on the eve of the duel against Chile in the group stage of the Copa América, and with the personal desire to obtain the two-time continental championship in what could be his last. tournament with the Albiceleste.
“Happy birthday captain,” said Argentina’s official account on the social network X, formerly Twitter. “Today is the birthday of the one who fulfilled our dream of seeing him champion,” he said, accompanied by a video of Messi lifting the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
FIFA also echoed the birthday of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“A play of 37 years and five World Cups,” the entity published in X, with a video of the Diez’s goals.
Born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, a city in the coastal province of Santa Fe, Messi has celebrated most of his birthdays in the middle of a competition with the Albiceleste, including the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups. The exception was Qatar as it was held between November and December 2022.
This time his birthday is on the eve of the second presentation of the current world and continental champion against Chile in the group stage of the Copa América at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a stage that represents a bitter memory for the Argentine captain.
On June 26, 2016, Argentina lost there on penalties against La Roja in the final of the Bicentenario Cup. Messi missed the first penalty of the shootout and ended up resigning from the national team after a new disappointment after the defeats against Germany in the 2014 World Cup and then against Chile in the 2015 Copa América.
Messi reversed his decision a year later and only in the 2021 Copa América did he lift his first trophy with the senior team.
David Beckham, one of the owners of his current MLS team Inter Miami, and even his previous clubs Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain also greeted the star on his birthday.
With a calendar that marks 37 years, the Copa América in the United States could become the last major tournament that Messi plays for his country if he finally gives up competing in the 2026 World Cup.
“It will be as far as it has to be. I continue to enjoy everyday life and playing ball. When I’m not a professional I’m going to continue doing it with my children and friends,” Messi said in an interview broadcast by the YouTube channel Clank_media.
