Legacy, history, validation, dominance: What's at stake for Lionel Messi, James Rodriguez and the biggest stars in Sunday's Copa America final?

After winning the 2022 World Cup, Angel Di Maria could have called it a career. Could you have blamed him? There's nothing sweeter than winning a World Cup and no feeling that would compare to lifting that trophy in Qatar.

He came back, though, for one more tournament, one more chance at glory. Sunday will be his final game in an Argentina shirt. Will it all be worth it?

"It's my last battle," Di Maria said ahead of the final. "There's nothing left to say that I haven't said a lot of times before. It's my last game. I have to say thank you to all Argentinians and to this generation that has allowed me to lift so many trophies.

"I'm not ready for my last game in the national team, but it's time. Whatever happens in the final, I think I can leave through the front door. I gave everything. I always gave my life for this jersey."

Di Maria's legendary status is already cemented, so another Copa America will be stat padding at this point. He's surely enjoyed this last go around with his teammates and this last tournament in that famous blue and white shirt.

In the end, though, the only way he'll go out happy is if he has lifts another trophy. It would be a fitting end for a player who has so often been overlooked, but will it be the one he gets?

The world fell in love with James Rodriguez in 2014. Most have fallen out of love with him in the 10 years since. He's never come close to reaching those highs again. That is, until this summer.

The Colombian No. 10's career hasn't gone to plan but here he is at this Copa America pulling the strings. Rodriguez is a throwback in more ways than one, which is what has made his dominance this summer so damn fun.

He has six assists in this tournament. No one else has more than two. There's been no player more important to his team's success this summer than the 33-year-old. No one could have seen this coming.

Little has gone to plan for Rodriguez over the last decade. His club career never really got going for various reasons. From the moment he burst onto the scene, he was under so much pressure from the rest of the world. He dealt with so many expectations and, unfortunately, he never came close to living up to them.

This tournament won't necessarily change that, but this does feel like a summer of redemption for the midfielder. If he can lift Colombia to glory, his icon status will be solidified. Maybe fans will stop wondering what might have been, and remember what was in the summer of 2024.

Scaloni is already the best Argentina coach of the modern era. Winning a World Cup will do that for you. His resume stacks up better than essentially anyone in the country's history.

But if he wins on Sunday? If he can lead this to a fourth major trophy in just three years? Yeah, he'll be undeniable.

Scaloni already has one Copa America, a Finalissima and, of course, a World Cup to his name. If he adds another Copa America, he'll become only the third coach in this team's history to lift this trophy more than once. Given his other achievements, there will no denying Scaloni's place in history.

It's particularly impressive considering this is his first-ever senior head coaching job. Prior to taking over Argentina, he'd only been an assistant at Sevilla and within the Argentina system. His appointment was blasted by Diego Maradona, at the time.

Now? There's nothing left to criticize.

Scaloni has been the perfect coach for this team at the perfect time and, if Argentina wins on Sunday, what is already a legendary run will continue on.

Luis Diaz could very well be the difference in Sunday's finale. He's that good, that dangerous. So often, he's Colombia's biggest weapon, a player that can make defenses bend and bend and bend until they ultimately shatter.

Diaz, though, isn't always compared to the world's best. So often, it feels like he's lumped into that second tier, the one just below world-class. He's good, but not great. He's dangerous, but not lethal. he's a difference-maker, but not the guy.

Reputations are made in finals, though, and Diaz has the chance to enhance his while writing his place in his country's history books. Colombia has had few players as dynamic as Diaz and, if he puts that on show on Sunday, he'll find himself among the Carlos Valderramas and the Radamels Falcaos of the world.

Meanwhile, Europe will be watching, too. Diaz is a key player for Liverpool, but not quite the star. Maybe this summer will help him take the leap as he heads into life under Arne Slot at Anfield. This is a massive game for Diaz to prove to the world just how good can be.

Lionel Messi has already beaten the game. He's completed the sport of soccer. All the bosses have been defeated and all the achievements have been unlocked. Everything else at this point is a victory lap for a player who is probably the best to ever play.

Victory laps are fun, though, aren't they? And what player wouldn't want to add yet another accolade to a career full of them?

Messi, for all of his successes, is desperate for more. He's already immortal, but another Copa America puts even more distance between himself and his competitors. That includes Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Euro 2016 win wouldn't look quite as good as it would against Messi's two Copas and World Cup.

It doesn't REALLY matter at this point for Messi, but it certainly does for him. Anything from now on is bonus points, including a second Copa America that would only further separate him from the pack.

Argentina will know Nestor Lorenzo well. He played for the national team 12 times and after retiring with Boca Juniors in 1997, he went into management, serving as an assistant for both Argentina's U-20s and the senior team throughout his journey.

He's no longer part of the Argentina program, though. Those days are long gone. Now he leads Colombia, and he's now the coach with the chance to break his own country's heart on Sunday.

It will be an emotional day for Lorenzo, who took charge of Colombia in 2022. He's guided them to the final and is now awaited by his own national team, one which features a player in Messi that he actually coached.

On Sunday, all of Argentina will be rooting against Lorenzo, who was part of the country's 1990 World Cup team. Funny how life works sometimes. But win Sunday, and Lorenzo may have the last laugh.

It's amazing to believe that Colombia hasn't had more success in this competition. They've been to the Copa America final just twice. They've won it just once. Making it this far has been anything but common, despite all the talent this country has produced over the years.

Their only Copa America trophy came in 2001, and was claimed on home soil, too. Legendary defender Ivan Cordoba scored the lone goal in a win over Mexico while Victor Aristizabal won the Golden Boot with his six-goal tournament run.

Now, 23 years later, Colombia is back in the final. This group of players has a chance to write their names in the history books. Players such as Jhon Cordoba, Jefferson Lerma or Richard Rios can become heroes. Rodriguez and Diaz can solidify legendary status. Everyone on the field is potentially one kick away from bringing an historic trophy to Colombia.

Throughout the 100ish years that soccer has been played at this level, only one team has won three consecutive major titles: Spain. La Roja's run from 2008-12 was legendary. Xavi, Iniesta, David Villa, Iker Casillas, Fernando Torres - all are heroes. That Spain team is regarded by many as the most dominant national team this sport has seen.

On Sunday, Argentina can match that. They too can continue an unprecedented run of dominance. And, if they do, they'll have solidified their place among the greatest national teams we've seen.

Player for player, it feels like this Argentinian team isn't as talented as that Spain team was. What this Argentina team does have, though, is fit. Every piece fits perfectly and everyone knows their role. The chemistry has been on display throughout this run and, when you take that and add the great Messi to it, amazing things happen.

If Argentina does win on Sunday, it will simply be crazy. It will be an incredible run, especially considering all of the near-misses and setbacks this team faced during the first decade-and-a-half of the Messi era. Those days are long gone as the Messi era will now be defined by dominance - and it might just be extended by one more trophy in Miami on Sunday night.