Don't make the same mistake as Cristiano, Leo! Argentina legend Messi should end international career on a high rather than risk becoming a laughing stock like Ronaldo

On Sunday, some 18 months after his GOAT coronation in Qatar, Messi made more history, leading Argentina to a second consecutive Copa America triumph. A man once ridiculed for his supposed lack of leadership skills and an alleged inability to reproduce his club form for his country will now go down as one of the most successful captains the international game has ever seen. He's also become the most decorated player of all time, with 45 trophies. Will he try for one more, though?

Messi has just turned 37, but the next World Cup is only two years away. At 39, he'd hardly be the oldest player ever to feature at the finals, and it's clear that there's still some magic left in that left boot.

Truth be told, though, it would be a mistake for Messi to continue until 2026. His legacy may already be secure - but why risk tarnishing it? Why even put himself in a position where he might end up looking as foolish as Cristiano Ronaldo?

Messi and Ronaldo are obviously completely different characters; that's been evident throughout their stellar careers. But they both clearly have an insatiable thirst for success. It's part of the reason why they've been so successful.

However, Ronaldo's relentlessness has long since become a problem for Portugal. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been blinded by his unwavering self-belief in his own abilities.

It was obvious to everyone else that he should have just stayed in Saudi Arabia after his calamitous World Cup campaign in Qatar, but, evidently, not a single member of his entourage advised him to walk away and he ended up starring in another sh*tshow in Germany this summer.

Roberto Martinez must take a significant share of the blame here, for indulging his superstar striker to such a ludicrous degree. The spineless Spaniard essentially put the interest of one individual ahead of the team - and his cowardice cost the an incredibly talented Seleccao a glorious shot at victory, with Ronaldo enduring a historically bad Euros as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by an awful France team, with Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos joined on the bench by Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao by the end of the game.

However, Ronaldo's unwillingness to bring the curtain down on his career after Qatar - or even just accept a supporting role in Germany - left him wide open to the criticism and mockery that followed. By the end of the tournament, one of the most prolific players of all time had become a laughing stock, with 'Crying Cristiano' the subject of a million mean-spirited memes.

No true football fan wants to see such a fate befall Messi.

While seeing Ronaldo embarrass himself at the Euros was terribly tough to watch (he's a legend of the game after all), it was utterly unsurprising to see him so stubbornly refuse to admit defeat in the always futile battle with Father Time. He may be a serial winner, but he's always been a terrible loser. Furthermore, in Ronaldo's eyes, the game is only really about glory of the personal variety, so it was inevitable that Portugal's campaign would become all about their self-absorbed skipper.

Messi, for all his individual excellence and talismanic qualities, is a team player. Like Ronaldo, he has also always dominated the narrative around his national team for nearly two decades, but it's telling that each and every one of his team-mates was privately and publicly pleading with the No.10 to continue after the World Cup.

Emiliano Martinez famously described the players as "lions who fight for Messi" and, as Julian Alvarez admitted ahead of the Copa America, the entire squad was delighted to still have their beloved captain on board because he just makes everything "better".

However, while it's clear that Messi's influence over - and popularity within - the Argentine squad remains as strong as ever, it's also undeniably that his super-powers are showing signs of fading. Only James Rodriguez (20) created more chances (14) than him at the Copa America, while the Inter Miami ace also ranked fourth for dribbles completed (12) - which is not bad, but not Messi. Or, at least, not the Messi that, just two years ago, dominated a World Cup like no other player since Diego Maradona in 1986.

He just wasn't his usual decisive self in the United States, contributing just one goal and one assist in five appearances, which is why he's dropped out of GOAL's World-Class Club in 2024. Of course, his fitness was a factor, with Messi sitting out one group game, against Peru, and being forced out of the final with a swollen ankle, but therein lies the problem - and indeed the danger of playing on for another couple of years.

As any MLS follower will tell you, injuries are becoming an increasing issue for Messi. He is missing more and more matches, and with a variety of ailments. It's also highly unlikely that things will get any easier for him in the coming seasons.

MLS might not be as physically demanding as one of Europe's 'Big Five' leagues, but the competition is intense and the schedule punishing.

Messi is, of course, loving life in Miami, where he's surrounded by family and friends, many of whom used to play for Barcelona! His only current objective, he says, is to "keep living day by day". While he understandably doesn't want to look too far ahead, he's insisted that he's very "self-critical" and that he won't hesitate to retire the moment he feels like he's no longer "helping" his team-mates.

However, Messi has also repeatedly stated that he will "continue competing" as long as he feels "good" - not least because he says he will miss so many "little details" about playing the sport he loves. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has certainly earned the right to decide when it's time to call it quits, and nobody wants to see him stop playing just yet. But there's no shaking the suspicion that 2026 would be a step too far.

Time is taking a toll on his body. The injury that brought a premature end to his Copa America final reduced him to tears. "As you grow old," he recently said, "things become more difficult."

He'll find it terribly tough to walk away from the national team, of course. The mere idea has long tormented him. "The fear that everything's going to be over," he explained to ESPN Argentina, "it's always there."

However, the fear of making the same mistake as Ronaldo should be just as great. Messi no longer has the pace he once had. Age is catching up with him. Here’s hoping that he hasn’t lost that impeccable sense of timing.