Messi's legendary run for Argentina almost never happened after heartbreak

Lionel Messi ends his international football career as a living legend with a God-like status in his country, but the dizzying heights the great man reached almost never happened if he had stuck to his original retirement.

Lionel Messi’s retirement from the national soccer team, though widely expected, sparked fears of a diminished squad, and heartbreak over the departure of a national icon.

Lionel Messi's decade of dominance with Argentina that almost never happened will go down as one of football's greatest ever stories.

Argentina legend dazzled throughout summer tournament but finished with a silver medal