Lionel Messi’s Most Painful Moment With Argentina
Before reaching the summit with the Albiceleste, Messi endured a devastating night that pushed him toward one of the toughest decisions of his career.
Lionel Messi ended his Argentina career as a world champion and the defining figure of a historic generation, but before reaching the summit, he endured one of the most devastating moments of his international career. Claudio Bravo, his former FC Barcelona teammate, witnessed the scene from the opposing side.
It happened after the 2016 Copa América Centenario final, when Chile defeated Argentina in a penalty shootout. While the Chilean players celebrated the title, Bravo found Messi away from everyone else, trying to process yet another painful defeat with the Albiceleste.
“You find the greatness of this player in absolute solitude. I found him alone that day on the bench seats; absolutely alone,” Bravo recalled during an appearance on ESPN F90 Chile.
The defeat that pushed Messi to walk away
That final represented much more than another lost trophy. Argentina had been beaten by Germany in the 2014 World Cup final before losing to Chile in the 2015 Copa América final.
The Copa América Centenario therefore became Messi’s third consecutive final defeat with Argentina. To make the night even more painful, the forward missed his attempt in the penalty shootout.
Hours later came a decision that stunned Argentine football. On June 26, 2016, Messi announced he was walking away from the national team, exhausted by years of disappointment and the intense criticism surrounding his inability to replicate his club success with Argentina.
The cruel side of being Lionel Messi
For Bravo, witnessing that scene also revealed the enormous price that could come with Messi’s fame. The Chilean had shared a locker room with him at Barcelona and knew a personality very different from the global superstar the outside world saw.
“That’s when I discovered the negative side football has when it comes to its idols,” the former goalkeeper explained, highlighting the contrast between the number of people surrounding a superstar in victory and the loneliness that can follow defeat.
Bravo described Messi as “the best player in the history of this sport”, but also as an approachable and completely normal person. He even suggested that Leo did not always fully understand just how enormous his status in football had become.
From rock bottom to conquering the world
The story, however, did not end that night. Messi’s international retirement proved temporary, and his eventual return completely transformed the narrative of his career with Argentina.
After years of heartbreak, the captain finally lifted the Copa América before reaching the ultimate summit by winning the World Cup, completing a transformation that would have seemed difficult to imagine on that painful night in 2016.
That is why Bravo’s memory carries even greater significance years later. Before experiencing his greatest moments with Argentina, Messi had been pushed so far by defeat that he decided to walk away, leaving behind an unforgettable image: one of football’s greatest-ever players sitting completely alone after one of the toughest nights of his career.
3 Key Takeaways From Messi’s Most Painful Moment
- A heartbreaking image: after losing the Copa América Centenario final, Messi sat alone on the bench as Chile celebrated the title.
- He had reached his limit: it was his third consecutive final defeat with Argentina, and he announced his international retirement shortly afterward.
- The story ultimately changed: Messi eventually returned and led Argentina into a historic era, winning the major trophies that had eluded him for so long.
