Very few football teams are regarded as being on the radar of all-time greats, and Spain comes into everyone's mind when one talks about the most successful teams in recent history. They won three major international trophies within four years: Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and Euro 2012. Argentina equated this feat of great proportion by winning two continental tournaments and a World Cup in a span of three years. Argentina won Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Journey of Argentina
Lionel Messi has been the prime mover of Argentina's fortunes and has tasted the sweet and sour of his games in several international tournaments. After their recent wins, Argentina tasted several disappointments. They lost in the 2014 World Cup final and were defeated in the Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016.
Following these defeats, Messi announced a brief retirement from international football in 2016. Again, he came through to help Argentina dramatically qualify for the 2018 World Cup with a hat-trick against Ecuador in 2017.
No matter how hard they tried, Argentina bowed out of the competition in the 2018 World Cup against France. But the defeat did not dishearten Messi and his side. They learned the winning recipe under the guidance of coach Lionel Scaloni. The rest, as they say, is history.
Lionel Messi's Legendary Achievements
There is a lot that was going right for Lionel Messi in his career. Here are his most notable achievements:
1 FIFA World Cup
2 Copa America titles
4 UEFA Champions League titles
10 La Liga titles
8 Ballon d'Ors, highest won by any player in history
6 European Golden Boots, most won by any player in history
1212 goal contributions in 1068 matches - 838 goals with 374 assists
The above epitomizes the hard work and class of Messi, who has become the player with the most trophies won in football history.
With recent international success that Argentina has had in football, along with the excellent career that Messi has built up until now, it really seals their status within the annals of football history. From rising above setbacks to achieving monumental victories, Messi and his Argentina team have proved they possess the type of resilience and talent needed for this beautiful game. The faithful can only await more moments of glory from this iconic team.
