The sadness of Lionel Messi's last tango: Argentina's talisman fails to replicate his 2022 World Cup heroics

Lionel Messi found himself surrounded.

Tens of thousands of fans looked down on him at MetLife. Billions were watching around the world. And yet he couldn't look more alone.

When the World Cup final ended, the Spain dugout emptied. Substitutes ran on the pitch to celebrate with their teammates. Messi remained by himself, defeated. An Argentine Achilles. As was the case in the game, he could get no space. No sooner did the final whistle blow than they were on Messi like a flash. A high press up by the goal Argentina failed to score in. The cameraman and photographer captured a vacant stare.

Dejected, Messi began to sit down. He slipped off the boots Adidas had made specially for him, a pair called the Last Tango and although noise reverberated around MetLife the music stopped for Messi. His World Cup career apparently over.