This type of reaction is reserved for the all-time greats. Only the most famed legends can elicit a reception of this magnitude.
A whopping crowd of 80,102 fans at MetLife Stadium nearly all celebrated at once when Lionel Messi scored in the 51st minute Tuesday night, giving Argentina a 2-0 lead during their win over Canada by the same score in the 2024 Copa America semifinal.
Argentina will face the winner of Wednesday’s Uruguay-Colombia match on Sunday in the final.
With the softest of touches, Messi deflected a shot from Enzo Fernandez past Canadian goalie Maxime Crepeau and gave fans the near-religious experience they had been waiting for.
Limbs began wildly moving all across the stadium, and perhaps soccer’s best player ever became the center of adoration.
It was Messi’s 109th career goal for Argentina and 14th in all Copa Americas, but it finally marked his first at this year’s edition of the tournament.
He eventually won player of the match.
If this is the 37-year-old Messi’s final chapter in Argentina’s famous blue and white stripes, he’s one step away from the perfect ending.
“It’s crazy what this group did, what the Argentine national team has been doing,” Messi said after the game, through an interpreter. “It’s not easy to be in a final again. We need to enjoy, enjoy every moment.”
As the raucous fans — the vast, vast majority of whom supported Argentina — poured into MetLife Stadium, it’s hard not to contrast with the venue’s normal inhabitants.
When was the last time the Giants packed every seat in their stadium to the brim in such a manner?
When was the last time the Jets whipped their fans into such a frenzy?
Of course, as the reigning World Cup champions and FIFA’s No. 1-ranked team in the world, Messi has co-stars that make Argentina such an immense draw.
Forward Julian Alvarez, who opened the scoring Tuesday night in the 22nd minute, is a budding talent who has delivered in crucial moments.
Goalie Emiliano Martinez, who kept a clean sheet on Tuesday, is a fan-favorite who has one of the biggest personalities in all of soccer.
Forward Angel Di Maria is a team icon who has been a staple in the lineup for over a decade. The list goes on.
But Messi is the protagonist. Messi is the main draw.
It was “Meeeeesi, Meeeeesi” that constantly rang around the stadium.
It was Messi who fans stood for every time he possessed the ball. It was Messi who fans pretended to bow to when he came close to the sidelines.
“It is a difficult cup, very tough, with heavy temperatures,” Messi said. “That we are in a final again is something to highlight.”
Rodrigo De Paul cleverly found Alvarez from midfield with a through ball, and Alvarez subsequently slotted past Crepeau to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.
Canada nearly equalized just before halftime when Jonathan David managed to take a shot from within the 6-yard box, but Martinez was able to save it.
Martinez later in the 89th minute saved a point-blank shot from Tani Oluwaseyi to keep the score at 2-0.
“This is something to be proud of,” Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said, through an interpreter. “My gratitude is all for the players. We come from praise, from success. And getting here after that costs twice as much.”
Now playing his club soccer in MLS at Inter Miami, it’s clear Messi has accepted that he is in the final stage of his career.
It’s unlikely that he’ll be back with Argentina when the World Cup comes, in part, to America in 2026.
After an international career that was long defined by failure, Messi can end it in triumph.
He lost in the World Cup final in 2014 and the Copa America final in 2015 and 2016.
He briefly retired from the Argentina squad, with a major international title serving as the one missing piece of his career.
But he’s since returned and restored his nation to the mantle it once sat upon.
And assuming this is his last run on the international level, Messi is now 90 minutes away from leaving Argentina right there — on top.
“I am aware that these are the last battles,” Messi said. “I am enjoying them to the fullest.”
