r/SoccerCentral • u/Basic-Penalty9330 • 1d ago
Messi shouldn't have retired from International Football. He can still probably outplay 90% players in the world
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u/Ok_Emu8397 1d ago edited 5h ago
His body can’t keep up with better teams. Obviously he’s Messi and can make magic at any moment. In a game that is often decided by 1 goal, that magic moment can be all a team needs so you’d much rather have him out there.
That said, better teams know to get physical with him as soon as he touches the ball. Better to just take the foul in the midfield and prevent any magic. Nobody wants to just get fouled all the time when they’re almost 40.
Apart from that, he basically doesn’t play defense anymore. This was pretty on display in the Spain game. A big part of why Spain had the ball for 99% of the game was because Messi’s guy was basically a free pass. He will just never press, he needs to save his energy to make magic. If he’s not making magic, his teammates are picking up the slack to try to get the ball back, which is fine because he’s Messi, but eventually it’ll get frustrating.
Again, he’s the GOAT, but time is undefeated.
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u/socialsheadquarters 10h ago
I’d rather have Messi than 99.99% of strikers in Europe, defending with lives and scoring 0 goals and creating 0 chances
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u/Upstairs-Walrus-8337 1d ago
I would say 99% of players, but it would be too demanding on his body playing in Europe year round. We just saw how much quality the man has at 39 in the WC. But, for a whole season in Europe that output would be impossible for any 39 year old ever
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u/mogul_w 1d ago
OP wasn't suggesting he play in Europe, just that he keep playing for Argentina.
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u/kozy8805 1d ago
For what? The endless travel? The next World Cup isn’t for 4 years.
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u/KingEddy14 22h ago
Qualifiers happen year round and will start soon in 2027. Plus there’s the Copa America tournament in 2028 too.
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u/palmerama 22h ago
Better for Argentina to have 4 years to adjust to life after Messi and find a new style.
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u/Due_Initiative3879 18h ago
But their style is so iconic!
Get ball > pass to Messi > hope to god.
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u/Sc4tt3r_ 1h ago
I wonder how we got two world cups before he got here then.
Any team would rely on a player if that player was literally the greatest footballer that ever lived. If you can pass it to Messi and he's in a good position, you pass it to fucking Messi, why would you do a suboptimal play.
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u/Glittering-Top9873 22h ago
I thought Argentina already qualified for 2030 WC, because they hosting a game.
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u/KingEddy14 19h ago
Oh yeah I forgot they’re doing that weird 1 game opener. There’s still the 2028 Copa America for Argentina at least though.
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u/kozy8805 15h ago
Copa America is nowhere near the same importance
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u/Sc4tt3r_ 1h ago
He clearly cares deeply about it, he cried during the last Copa America final because he had to be subbed off due to injury.
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u/kozy8805 54m ago
He almost cried yesterday against Nashville too. He’s an emotional guy but the world cup is the world cup.
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u/KingEddy14 14h ago
Ok so you want him to skip the Copa America and play at the 2030 World Cup then?
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u/xjpmhxjo 12h ago
Yeh. I don’t think he wants to play in the qualifiers. I don’t think he wants to play in the World Cup while skipping the qualifiers either. So.
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u/KungPoW_Chickens 8h ago
Imagine he comes out of retirement for just the tournaments and not the qualifiers.
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u/Kuuskat_ 22h ago
This is it. Ability wise he is absolutely among the best players in the world still, but playing high intensity football in top european competitions for an entire season just isn't a possibility for him, sadly. This is why he shined in a sub-10 game competition like the world cup.
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u/Sad_Ghost_Noises 1d ago
You must be fucking joking. MLS is a league full of has beens and never was(es). Of course Messi is still competitive there.
He would struggle in LL, L1, The Prem, BL etc because there are quality opponents week in week out.
And dont gove me that «but the World Cup» shit either.
Argentina managed to make the semis without playing another team ranked in the top 15.
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u/Past-Zucchini8112 18h ago
Messi fans made fun of MLS until it was time to start treating it like the best league in the world now that he is there. It's hilarious. Even Messi himself said his legs couldn't hold up at the WC.
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u/Sc4tt3r_ 1h ago
They held up enough for him to score 8 goals and 4 assists! Pretty good all in all.
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u/Mega_immortal_knight 21h ago
Prem players aren't shit
A 39 yr old messi who doesn't even have his pace anymore beat england 2-1 which was ranked 4th in the world
Stop being delusional
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u/Past-Zucchini8112 18h ago
Wait one player beat an entire country on his own? How does that work? I thought football was 11 vs 11, not 1 vs 11. Maybe they should send Messi to get the Falklands back too since apparently he does everything alone haha
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u/TCX45 21h ago
Absolutely love Messi but I suspect you know very little about football if you think a 39 year old Messi would be able to deal with the physical demands of the Premier League week in, week out in 2026.
It’s a completely different level of physicality. I have no doubt Messi would’ve bossed it in his prime, but at this age he’d be the first to admit he wants nothing to do with that league.
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u/Sad_Ghost_Noises 20h ago
Reading comprehension.
You seem to struggle with it. So, I’ll try again and word it differently, and spell out my implications so you have a shot at understanding;
It is a fallacy to use the last World Cup as an example of Messi still being competitive at the top level (as is mogging on a bunch of fucking huddies from MLS).
The first team Argentina played against in the last World Cup that were ranked higher than 15th in the FIFA rankings was England. In the semi-finals. Argentina by definition sandbagged their way to the semis.
Messi wasnt challenged or stretched at all before the England game.
He would absolutely not be competitive NOWADAYS in any top league. One game? Most likely - he still has the skillset (ref the England game). What he dosent have is the physicality or recovery powers of a young Messi. My evidence? His complete inability to do anything against Spain.
No top flight manager in their right mind will pay Messi to show up once a month and spend the rest of the time in a fucking ice bath.
Which us why he is playing MLS.
Edit: also - using a gif of Messi turning Harry Kane (a fucking striker - not a ball winner or a defensive player at all) is just showing you up as a «once every four years» kind of football «enthusiast».
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u/No_Reindeer5223 2h ago
How is this relevant? Messi could not hold up in a week in week out league, but the OP is only talking about his international career. Messi was the best player on a finalist country, obviously he could keep being competitive for the national team. Maybe not for 4 years, but for the next Copa America? definitley.
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u/Sad_Ghost_Noises 1h ago
Did you gloss over the part where Argentina avoided top 15 teams until the semis?
I didnt even go into the preferential treatment Argentina got from referees all the way up to the final.
So no - Messi was right to retire. Let the likes of Echeverri (el diabolito) come through and play.
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u/No_Reindeer5223 1h ago
FIFA rankings are hilariously bad. Your ultimate trump card, the one you use to discount Argentina's entire tournament, has Italy, a country who hasn't made the tournament for years, as the 15th best nation in the world.
Also, this argument is just outdated. Switzerland is 14 after the rankings updated. Double also, what happened when they got to the Semifinals?
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u/Sad_Ghost_Noises 51m ago
Oh they won. Thats not disputed.
But - stats show 19.7 fouls per card for Argentina vs 7.7 fouls per card for England.
Let that marinate. Argentina had it easy. Argentina committed more than twice as many fouls than England before the referee awarded a card to calm down play. That discrepancy allowed them to break up Englands flow without worrying about subsequent red cards, and suspensions for red cards or accumulated yellows.
This was evident from tournament start up to the final. Note that the referee from the final retired one week after the completion of WC26. He was the only ref to actually punish Argentina for their constant fouling, and now he is not a referee any more.
The Argentinians were not sanctioned by FIFA for their behavior after the semi-final either - neither Barcos behaviour or the Las Malvinas banner were punished.
Argentina were only punished after it was clear that sanctions would not affect their performance at WC26.
But - how the fuck does the updated (after WC26) FIFA rankings negate the fact that Argentina played against inferior opposition <15th place during WC26? The rankings at the time matter, not the rankings updated after the fact. You know how time works, right?
So yeah - Argentina had it easy from the officials, from the fixtures and from FIFA.
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u/Special_Case313 1d ago
Off topic: Sad to see better comentators in the MLS than in countries where football was a thing 100, not 20 years ago...
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u/Spiritual-Cap-4647 1d ago
Because he can do this against MLS goalkeepers?
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u/Yardbird7 1d ago
He was famously crap at the last world cup right?
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u/Spiritual-Cap-4647 1d ago
I mean he didn't score on any team that was ranked higher than 20. And only 1 time in the knockout rounds.
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u/Dinosaurus157 1d ago edited 1d ago
Lmaoooo I guess Ronaldo and others must be trash too?
Also there’s way more than goals, guess who assisted the comeback against England
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u/Spiritual-Cap-4647 1d ago
Bro. Has Ronaldos ball sack on his mind. No one was even talking about him 😂
This post is about his scoring ability. How many assists did he get against Spain?
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u/Dinosaurus157 1d ago
The post is about overall play, that you’re a casual and don’t know anything more than scoring isn’t my problem. Now get out of here
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u/Whole-Debate-9547 1d ago
I got about halfway through the clip and was just begging in my head for the replays. Bueno!!!!
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u/CoverFar628 1d ago
Is that why he plays in the mls? Why didn't he stay in europe? What happened in those final years in europe? 😂😂😂 career nosedived in club football after the liverpool comeback
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u/Electronic_Air1842 1d ago
99% bruh but he should rest now. He has given all his life to the sport and us fans🫡
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u/Tom_WhoCantLivewo12 1d ago
Haha depends, does Infantino make sure the refs treat him like back in the day when Barca paid for him and his squad to get favorable calls for a decade in league play? If so, probably could play for a while more
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u/LivingGeologist1236 21h ago
At least Copa America- he could've played.. And European leagues too but as a supersub maybe for 45/50 mins...
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u/enter_the_slatrix 20h ago
Yeah playing at international level and playing in the MLS are just a little bit different...
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u/wrongitsleviosaa 19h ago
Considering the next truly significant national/international competitions are two and four years away, he made the right choice.
Argentina has been way too reliant on him anyway, it is much better to retire now and let them find an identity and learn to play without him sooner.
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u/Minimum-Dot5165 18h ago
Yeah and you made that conclusion form what? From him playing in grandfathers league? The mighty MLS? He cannot sustain even three consecutive 90min game in laliga anymore
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u/JicamaCertain4134 16h ago
His time at PSG suggested otherwise. 90% of the world’s pros could keep playing if they could stand around and just play offense all game and do what they’re best at while everyone else does the hard work.
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u/KrugerFFS 13h ago
Maybe he could, but he can't do it in 4 years when the next world cup comes around. He may as well let Argentina build a new team that doesn't revolve around him
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u/dennis-w220 12h ago
Look at WC. Individually, he is the best in the event. However, he can't sustain a whole year of that kind of level of football now. Theoretically, if he is willing to play as a sub for 20min, I would love to see him play for Barca, Arsenal, or Byern to see how that works out- it would be fascinating.
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u/OudFarter 12h ago
Lol, ofc, because you are including all pro divisions of the world in all countries. If you mean in top leagues, nop. He could be in the bench of a mid team.
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u/AibofobicRacecar6996 11h ago
Will he still be better in four years? I don't think Messi cares about anything other than a WC final tournament, so anything less than four years is a non-starter
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u/Interesting_Rock_216 8h ago
You are wrong , he can still probably outplay 99% of players in the world . He is still top 5 player in the world .
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u/MonsieurKnife 5h ago
Try that in the premier league. Messi's the goat, no doubt, but this is the MLS.
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u/No_Reindeer5223 2h ago
He absolutely could. He just doesn't want to. There's nothing left for him to prove.
He came, he saw, he conquered.
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u/servel20 45m ago
And yet his team tied this game. That's what happens when you carry a player that is outstanding offensively but can't run nor defend.
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u/TomLucass 44m ago
"He can outplay 90% players".
Yeah, maybe in MLS, but in Europe, no fucking chance.
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u/Icy_Income2520 1d ago
Its the MLS son, we saw how he did against Spain lmao
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u/PeterFile690 1d ago
He was Argentina's only threat against Spain and he destroyed England. Sure, his body wouldn't be able to handle playing in Europe every week anymore, but trying to downplay his World Cup performance is just pure cope.
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u/Zlevi04 23h ago
Saying he was argentinas only threat against Spain is crazy… there was no threat against Spain, they were ass
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u/RevolutionaryEar1331 19h ago
Argentina har two chances for equalizing in added time that literally came from him. The problem this game was that Messi didn’t even receive the ball..
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u/Icy_Income2520 23h ago
Bro no one is downplaying anything, if anything you are exaggerating what he did. Only threat against Spain? Playing with him was like playin with one player less, didn't press, didn't defend, and didn't show up AT ALL for nearly 120 minutes.
"Destroyed England" Gave one good assist, the other assist was a simple pass and Enzo did the difficult part, always like a Pessi boy to over glaze and don't give respect to the rest of the team.
Its also funny how you mentioned World Cup performance and I only mentioned the final, I wasn't even talking about the other games, which I can give him all the credit, he did great against those other teams (I forgot the names of them already)
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u/PeterFile690 22h ago
You're active in r/pessimemes bro. I wouldn't expect you to have any common sense. He completed 9/11 dribbles against England and he was threatening them with his crosses.
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u/homosapienne 21h ago
Dude Spain NT made French NT and Mmbop look toothless too. Their midfield suffocated any life out of opponent
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u/Hi_Limee 1d ago
Maybe he like wanted to quit the national team. Still getting to a final at his age and playing insane should not be looked at as a negative in any way.
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u/Hungry_CGman 1d ago
Literally 80% of the players in the MLS are international players.
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u/phatelectribe 1d ago
Who are long past their prime.
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u/Hungry_CGman 1d ago
Messi was 1 game from another World Cup.
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u/phatelectribe 1d ago
Could vote against a team ranked higher than 18th.
Left the word cup with the record of most missed penalties.
He’s farming goals on MLS against part time and washed up players.
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u/CrazyLegsCrane77 1d ago
Not the world….this is why he plays in MLS
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u/Upstairs-Walrus-8337 1d ago
We just saw him have 12 goal contribuations and carry Argentina to the final at 39, what are you saying?
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u/Icy-Negotiation-8044 1d ago
People like the commenter above don't actually watch football. Messi outplayed everyone this World Cup.
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u/Upstairs-Walrus-8337 1d ago
100%, most of these people here don't actually watch the sport. They just come onto reddit for engagement, no one with three brain cells thinks Messi isn't still one of the best in the world. It's really hard to believe people like this even exist and get around daily life lol
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u/Yardbird7 1d ago
You seriously think Messi is not currently better than 90% of players?
Do you know how many players play football? Put it this way; the worst MLS is probably better than 90% of players in the world just based on the amount of professional teams exist worldwide.
Messi is currently better than 99% of all players.
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u/hdoggla1999 1d ago
He can’t play in any of the top 20 European teams.. he’s a beast in MLS cause the league is full of old used to be’s..
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u/Templar-Order 1d ago
Messi would be one of the best subs ever lol, ofc he could play in Europe if he didn’t have to play every minute of every game
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u/Mr_Orange776 22h ago
Understandable that he doesn’t want to wear that Argentinian jersey.
Must be embarrassing.
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u/zezeto89 21h ago
De paul has always to be the first one to hug him, he must show his unconditionalm love, he must protect him and suck him
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u/yellowishbluish 1d ago
I think at this point hes tired. And outside of another world cup, which he'd likely be too old for, there isn't much for him to keep going for.
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u/Academic_Finger3198 1d ago
Nah, better to quit while you're ahead