Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi is hopeful that forward Angel Di Maria will cap his illustrious international career with a goal in Sunday’s Copa América final against Colombia. Di Maria, 36, announced his decision to retire from international football in November after a distinguished 15-year career representing Argentina.
Messi, 37, expressed his desire for Di Maria to replicate his previous final heroics. “Who knows, maybe he’ll score another goal in the final like he did in all the previous ones he’s played in. It would be extraordinary,” Messi said in an interview with Direct TV Sports on Saturday. He referred to Di Maria’s crucial goals in Argentina’s victories over Brazil in the 2021 Copa América final and France in the 2022 World Cup final.
Despite Di Maria’s firm decision to retire, Messi and the team continue to hope he might reconsider. “We always tell him that if everything goes well, we have playoff games coming up. Nevertheless, ‘Fideo’ (Di Maria) has made up his mind and there’s nothing that can change it,” Messi added.
Di Maria has been a pivotal player for Argentina, scoring 31 goals in 144 appearances. His international career includes participation in six Copa Américas and four World Cups. Notably, he scored the decisive goal in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Nigeria to win Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
As the Copa América final approaches, Argentina fans will be eager to see if Di Maria can once again deliver a memorable performance and help secure another title for his country.
