Argentina's emotional rollercoaster to roll on

After a moment of dead silence in the World Cup final penalty shootout, Gonzalo Montiel converted the spot kick to clinch victory, setting off an explosion of joy throughout the country. This nation, deeply divided into two political camps, came together as one.

"The national team is what the British crown is to England. It conveys a sense of belonging and allows for a tolerance of frustration," is how Pola Oloixarac of the daily newspaper La Nacion described the unifying element of the Albiceleste.

But this roller coaster of emotions that Argentine fans experienced on Sunday is bound to continue, albeit at a more leisurely pace over the next few years. That's because at some point in the foreseeable future, Lionel Messi will retire from international football altogether. He has already announced that he will not play in another World Cup and the notion that he could make the 2024 Copa America his swansong is still a rumor — but one that has been fueled by Messi himself. 

"I enjoy playing for the national team and would like to play a few more games as a world champion," the "Messiah" recently said.

Messi has now filled the two missing gaps in his resume by winning the Copa America and the World Cup. His lifelong dream has thus been fulfilled, now is a time for celebration. 

What comes next? 

In Qatar, Messi was more dominant for Argentina than he had been at any previous World Cup — and when he goes, he won't be leaving alone. Angel di Maria, who scored the goal that gave Argentina and Messi the 2021 Copa America title, won't be in North America either in 2026. 

The torch is being passed to a new generation. But who will fill their shoes? Who will wear the No.10 when Messi is no longer there?

National team coach Lionel Scaloni has already said, half-jokingly, half-seriously, that the national team could set the number aside for him, just in case he has a change of heart about playing at the 2026 World Cup.

When will the next player of the century arrive? 

Since 1978, Argentina have only had two World Cups in which neither of the country's two greatest footballing legends, Messi and Diego Maradona, took part.

In 1998 in France, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals, and in 2002 in South Korea and Japan, Argentina didn't even escape the group stage. While there is no question that Argentine football is continuing to produce new world-class talents, players of the century like Messi or Maradona don't grow on trees — not even in Argentina. 

These are the sorts of questions that will be on people's minds once the celebrations are all over and most of the players have returned to a freezing-cold European winter. However, unlike in the past, there will scarcely be a thought given to the possibility that an Argentina or a Brazil could actually fail to qualify for the next World Cup. 

In the past, the South American World Cup qualification process was a grueling two-year marathon of 18 matchdays, after which only four teams would qualify directly for the finals. But with the 2026 World Cup increasing from 32 to 48 teams, qualifying has become far less dangerous — and therefore far less interesting.  

But right now, nobody in Argentina is thinking about that anyway.

This article was translated from German.