Copa América: Lionel Messi Hopes Ángel Di María Retires With A Goal In The Final

Argentina captain, Lionel Messi hopes Ángel Di María ends his international career with a goal in Sunday’s Copa América final against Colombia.

In November, Di María revealed his intention to retire from international competition after representing his country for 15 years. Messi wants him to get his name on the scoresheet as he did against Brazil to win the continental title in 2021 and against France as they won the 2022 World Cup final

“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, adding that the team still hopes he will reverse his decision.

“We always tell him that if everything goes well, we have playoff games coming up. Nevertheless, ‘Fideo’ [Di María] has made up his mind and there’s nothing that can change it.”

Di María has scored 31 goals in 144 matches for Argentina while participating in six Copa América tournaments and four World Cups.

He also scored the winner in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Nigeria to win Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Speaking in his pre-match news conference Saturday, Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni would not guarantee that Di María would start against Colombia.

“Even though we know it will be his last game, we will always decide first what is best for the team. If he has to play it’s because he has to play, if we decide not to play him it’s because we think differently,” he said.

“We hope that everything goes well and that Ángel can retire in the best possible way.”

Argentina made it to Sunday’s final without a dominant performance from Messi, who has battled a leg injury.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner swiftly maneuvered past defenders, setting up scoring chances for his teammates. However he didn’t find the net himself until redirecting Enzo Fernández’s strike into the goal, ultimately sealing Argentina in securing a 2-0 victory in the semifinal against Canada.

Before the final match, the 37-year-old said he’s battled discomfort at times throughout the tournament but assured it won’t slow him down on Sunday.

“In the final, I’m going to feel better,” he said.