Why Messi Almost Gave Up on Argentina

In Argentina, the number 10 isn't just a shirt. It's a test. Maradona made it sacred. And every player who wore it after him was crushed trying to become the next him. Then they handed it to a quiet kid from Rosario named Lionel Messi. And for years, the whole country was sure they had made a mistake. This is the story of how one number nearly destroyed the greatest player of all time, and how he finally made it his own. For Barcelona, Messi was untouchable, the best the game had ever seen. But the moment he pulled on the Argentina shirt, everything changed. The goals dried up. The team kept losing finals. His own people called him a ghost. A god for his club, a disappointment for his country. He lost four finals. In 2016, broken, he quit the national team on camera. The best player alive, walking away from his own flag. But he came back. In 2021 he finally won the Copa America. And in 2022, in the greatest World Cup final ever played, he beat France and lifted the one trophy that had haunted him his entire life. The number 10 was finally, completely, his. Now, at 39 years old, Messi returns for one last World Cup in 2026, chasing something no team has done in over 60 years. Winning it back to back. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 The number that was never his 0:35 A god for Barcelona, a ghost for Argentina 2:00 Four finals, four heartbreaks 4:45 The night he quit 6:00 The return and redemption 7:15 The night the 10 became his Can Messi really win it one more time? Tell me in the comments. Subscribe to The Aura for cinematic football stories, every week. #Messi #Argentina #WorldCup2026 #LionelMessi #Football #Maradona #WorldCup