Copa America 2021: GOAT debate finally over? Lionel Messi wins much-awaited crown

In his illustrious stay at Barcelona, Lionel Messi won 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions Leagues.

Argentina's Lionel Messi (right) hugs Brazil's Neymar after the Copa America 2021 final. (Source: Twitter)

The long, long wait for the great Lionel Messi is finally over. Argentina captain and Barcelona talisman has finally made it to the league of Diego Maradona as he led Argentina to its first Copa America title in 28 years. By doing so, he also picked up his first-ever international title after wait of more than 16 years since he made his debut for Argentina. Messi has also brought an end to the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate.

Not that he had not won big titles. In his illustrious stay at Barcelona, he won 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions Leagues.

#Messi @Argentina #CopaAmerica pic.twitter.com/8oeIFID0l3 — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 11, 2021

The game was tight as both teams looked determined not to give an inch in a game built up as Lionel Messi vs Neymar final. Finally, Angel Di Maria made most of a long-through ball from De Paul which ran through Brazil’s rusty defence. Di Maria controlled it with his sublime touch and got it past Ederson with a cheeky chip shot. That got Argentina in the lead. There were no more goals till half-time after that. The contest was feisty and that is what one expects from this South American match-up.

Lionel Messi waited his entire life for this moment. pic.twitter.com/T0vnMsI75H — Goal (@goal) July 11, 2021

How did Messi performed in the tournament…

* Messi finished the tournament level with Colombia’s Luis Diaz for most goals with each player scoring four times.

* The Argentina captain scored against Chile to open the tournament before wrapping up the group stage with a brace against Bolivia.

* He added another in a 3-0 quarter-final win over Ecuador while also converting in Argentina's shootout triumph against Colombia in the semi-final.

The game lived up to its potential and it was special for Messi as he in a way got the monkey off the back. This was the only thing missing from his cabinet, now he has it.

Leading up to the final, Messi was in top form as he scored five goals. There has been a lot of buzz around the 34-year-old ever since he became a free agent for the first time ever in his glorious career at Barcelona after his contract with the Spanish giants came to an end.

There is much speculation around what the future holds in stake for the Argentina icon. Reports suggest that Barcelona is busy trying to work out away in order to get their favourite son back. On the other hand, some rumours have it that PSG and Manchester City are also interested in getting Messi.