Messi cries, but this time tears of joy

Buenos Aires: Argentina finally made Lionel Messi cry with joy. After losing four times in finals, early exits in major tournaments and even a decision to retire from the national team, the superstar celebrated a much-awaited title with Argentina at Saturday’s 1-0 win against Brazil in the Maracana Stadium.

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The title ended Argentina’s 28-year drought of major trophies, with Messi as the best player with four goals and five assists. The captain also broke the team’s record for international appearances with 151 matches.

When Uruguayan referee Esteban Ostojich blew the final whistle, Messi knelt down on the pitch and covered his face with his hands. The next challenge is to win the World Cup in Qatar next year, which would be the first since Maradona took the team to glory in 1986.

Until Saturday, Messi’s titles with Argentina were only the U-20 World Cup title in 2005 and a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. His first frustration at the senior-team level started at age 19 in the World Cup quarterfinals elimination against Germany in 2006. One year later, he saw Brazil beat Argentina 3-0 in the Copa America final. His next major shot at winning with Argentina came in the 2014 World Cup final against Germany. The 1-0 defeat in Rio frustrated the star, who was voted the best player of the tournament, though his form was not as impressive as it was at his club. ap