It was the end of the World Cup, but it may have been more than that. It may have been the end of one of the best careers in international soccer.
Lionel Messi led his Argentinian squad through some of the more favorable group-stage and knockout-round matches in the World Cup. Yet the defending champs seemed to struggle in every contest, needing miracle comebacks or white-knuckle defensive stands to win against Egypt, Cape Verde, and England.
On Sunday, their luck ran out against a Spanish squad too good to let the Argentines mount a comeback or, as it turns out, even to get a shot on goal.
After the match, the crushing failure, the knowledge that this could be his last World Cup, and the final serenade from Argentinian fans showed on the captain’s face.
The post-game broadcast crew paused to let the significance of perhaps the greatest player ever to play the game sink in, as he soaked up his likely final World Cup moment, overcome with emotion.
Eventually, French World Cup champion Thierry Henry managed to say, “Wow.”
Messi remained emotional as well as he made his way off the field to the applause of fans who waited to cheer him off.
Whether Messi appears in the World Cup again or not, he leaves behind a performance record that could be described as nothing short of a tour de force.
Had Argentina won, it would have been their country’s fourth World Cup win and second in a row. Instead, the South American powerhouse now looks to an uncertain future – likely – without the greatest player who ever wore light blue and white.
The Spanish, on the other hand, have clinched their second World Cup with a future that, led by teenagers Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, looks much more certain.