{"id":4859,"date":"2026-06-16T15:17:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=4859"},"modified":"2026-06-16T15:17:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:17:10","slug":"an-ode-to-lionel-messi-and-embracing-his-last-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=4859","title":{"rendered":"An Ode To Lionel Messi And Embracing His Last Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            POPULAR SEARCHES\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            BROWSE BY\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14><i>&#8220;A thing of beauty is a joy forever, its loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness.&#8221;<strong>\u00a0 \u2014<\/strong> John Keats<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Sometimes, the timing of things is so perfect that you can&#8217;t help but think about its poetic significance. A butterfly landing on your shoulder or the sound of ocean water crashing against the backdrop of a sunset.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>For me, when it comes to this game of ours \u2014 and as the defending champion Argentina prepares to debut at this World Cup against Algeria on Tuesday night in Kansas City \u2014 I can&#8217;t help but think about Lionel Messi and what&#8217;s about to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Or what&#8217;s about to end.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>Lionel Messi after scoring a goal for Argentina in his first World Cup match on June 16, 2006. (photo by Matt Roberts\/Offside\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Exactly 20 years ago to this day, making his World Cup debut in 2006 at 18 years\u00a0and\u00a0358 days old, a young, long-haired Messi came on as a substitute during Argentina&#8217;s 6-0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro. With Diego Maradona cheering from the stands in Germany, the Argentinian crowd held a banner that read, &#8220;This Is My Dream,&#8221; as Messi held the World Cup trophy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Messi \u2014 like a bolt of lightning \u2014 created havoc, only taking three minutes to set up Hern\u00e1n Crespo for his goal. Ten minutes later, Carlos Tevez assisted La Pulga<i> <\/i>for his first goal at a World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>A lot has happened since then, and as a 20-year-old World Cup journey comes to an end in North America, I want us all to reflect on the fact that the light on Messi&#8217;s remarkable career is dimming down.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>And for this World Cup, whatever comes Argentina&#8217;s way as it tries to do something only two other nations have done before in the history of the competition \u2014 which is, win back-to-back World Cup titles \u2014 I implore you all to savor every moment Messi takes on the pitch. Because I promise you this: We will never see another player like him on the world&#8217;s stage.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>Messi, earlier this month.(Photo by Omar Vega\/Getty Images)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Back in 2023, I had the honor of sitting down with Messi when I interviewed the World Cup champion for my book. I asked him about his career, his sense of happiness\u00a0and his new chapter in Miami. It was only a few months after the historic World Cup victory in Qatar.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>He was happy to answer my questions, which were about his personal and professional life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>But what struck me the most was his sense of calmness about where he was in his life. He was completely at ease, and I'd like to think that a lot of it had to do with the fact that he made peace with himself, knowing that the end was slowly approaching.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Years later, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, this is why he didn't make a big announcement about returning for a record sixth tournament. This wasn't about breaking records, but rather closing doors the right way and saying goodbye to a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>When Messi, therefore, steps on the pitch on Tuesday night, I will put my phone down. I will take no texts or calls, pay no attention to anything else \u2014 aside from the fact that, for one last dance, one final glorious entrance on center stage, Lionel Messi, the greatest player I have ever witnessed, will say goodbye to the World Cup. And it will begin against Algeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>But in retrospect, I don't believe that sadness will enter me, but rather a sense of tranquility. Because after all is said and done, I will forever remember the eternal memories of what Messi gave us.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>And as John Keats reminds us, something beautiful never gets lost in nothingness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>It stays with us forever. As will Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY &#8220;A thing of beauty is a joy forever, its loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness.&#8221;\u00a0 \u2014 John Keats Sometimes, the timing of things is so perfect that you can&#8217;t help but think about its poetic significance. A butterfly landing on your shoulder or the sound of ocean water crashing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4858,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}