Back for good - but keeping Messi happy

Lionel Messi is back. In truth, he never went away. Despite his retirement after Argentina’s loss to Chile in the final of the Copa America Centenario in June, the Barcelona forward has not missed a single match - competitiive or otherwise - for his national team during his exile.

Now his return has been confirmed and it is fantastic news for the Albiceleste. But things must be different this time around.

The 29-year-old called time on his international career after Argentina lost to Chile on penalties, the Barca attacker sending his spot-kick over the bar en route to a fourth final defeat with his country. Visibly distraught afterwards, he revealed that he would be retiring from his national side - from the team that he loves above all others.

‘It’s a difficult moment to analyse,’ he said. ‘The first thing that comes into my head is that it’s over. For me the national team is over. It has been four finals. It was what I most wanted. It didn’t work out. I think that’s it. It’s what I feel now, what I think. There is great sadness. I missed the penalty, that’s it.’

Messi also added: ‘It’s for the good of everyone. For me and for everyone. Many want that.’

However, he will have quickly seen that while there may have been some that wanted him to go, many more hoped he would be back as campaigns clamouring for his return started all over Argentina.

Sometimes you do not know what you have until it is gone and that appeared to be the case with Messi, much maligned by many in his homeland after never appearing for a club team in Argentina. Instead of praising a player who has dragged them to final after final, he has been berated and blamed for the nation`s failure to lift a major trophy in recent years. And that was never fair.

Messi met with new Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza in Barcelona on Thursday and even though the 58-year-old told reporters that ‘we didn’t discuss his return’, it was then that the comeback was agreed. The 29-year-old would be back for the World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela in September. And on Friday the official confirmation arrived.

‘I see there are lots of problems in Argentine football and I do not want to create another,’ Messi said in a statement.  ‘I do not want to cause any harm, I have always tried to do the opposite and help wherever I could. We have to fix a lot of things in Argentine football, but I’d rather do that from the inside and not criticising from the outside.’

And he added: ‘A lot of things went through my head the day of the last final and I seriously thought about quitting, but I love this country and this shirt too much. I thank all the people who want me to keep playing with Argentina, I hope we can soon deliver them some joy.’
And now that Messi is back, that love and support needs to be reciprocated.

Former Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli (now at Sevilla), told Goal in an interview last year:  ‘What I would say is that Leo does not play like he does in Barcelona for Argentina because he perhaps does not enjoy himself here.

‘For Leo to feel loved, we have to make people accept that he can play well or badly. But if we do not enjoy him, nothing can make us happy. I can assure you that all the comments reach Messi and make him feel bad, and that feeling enters the pitch.’

That is a big problem and one which new coach Bauza will try to solve, while the Argentine Football Association (AFA) would do well to sort out the logistical issues that saw Messi complain during the Copa after the team were left stranded on a flight in the USA, something that - he said - had happened before. It was no way to prepare for a major final.

On and off the pitch, Argentina need to treat Messi much better than they have before. With another World Cup ahead in 2018, it is the last real chance to make the most of a player who is probably the best in the history of football.

For over a decade, Leo has given everything and more for his country. Now it is time for fans, officials, team-mates and everyone else to get behind their main man and give something back. And who knows - this sad story may yet have a happy ending after all.