scored his 800th career goal as Argentina beat Panama last night before celebrating their triumph in front of their own fans for the first time.
Messi’s heroics in back in December cemented his status as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, but his love affair with his national team is far from over.
The 35-year-old still has designs on featuring at the 2024 World Cup and he is showing little sign of slowing down on last night’s evidence as he rolled back the years with a superb late free-kick.
four months ago, with Messi’s club teammate the subject of severable controversial barbs.
And the PSG superstar and newly appointed France captain is likely to have taken a dim view of the antics that followed last night’s match.
Mimicking the chant started by Emi Martinez in the dressing room after last year’s final, Argentina’s fans held a mock ‘minute’s silence’ for France before they and their heroes danced in the stands and on the pitch.
It was the first time Argentina had played a match in front of their fervent support since being crowned world champions and it was an occasion full of joy and emotion.
‘I want to thank you all for the love and recognition that you have been receiving, not only after the World Cup but also for the Copa America,’ Messi told the crowd after the match.
‘We said that we were going to give it all for this trophy.’
An equally emotional Lionel Scaloni, the man who masterminded Argentina’s World Cup triumph, added: ‘Eternal gratitude to these players.
‘Football belongs to them, and without them we wouldn’t have won the World Cup.
‘Everyone who wears this shirt gives their all and sometimes the results don’t come. But this time we got it and it’s incredible.’
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