Lionel Messi leaves Kazan without revealing Argentina future
Mascherano and Biglia retired from international football but Messi said nothing
One question hangs over Argentina, but no answer arrived from Russia. Star player Lionel Messi didn't speak after the game against France, missing the chance to clear up whether or not he will continue to represent his country after their elimination from the World Cup.
"It's over for me," were Messi's words after Argentina lost the Copa America in 2016 on penalties to Chile. But the supporters launched a campaign to ask him to reverse his decision -- and he did.
This was Messi's World Cup. At least in terms of being the optimum for his age (31 last week). But his two assists as Argentina lost 4-3 to France in the last 16 were not enough. The next World Cup will be in Qatar in 2022, when Messi will be 35 -- and the finals will be played in November and December.
Mascherano & Biglia
Some players did speak after the loss to France, though, including Sergio 'Kun' Agüero, Javier MascheranoGabriel Mercado, Lucas Biglia and coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Biglia and Mascherano both announced that they were retiring from international, the latter in tears. "It’s time to say goodbye, it’s time to support from outside," Mascherano said. "I hope that in the future these boys can achieve something."
Other veterans of the team, like Mercado and Aguero, also dedicated words to the supporters. The Sevilla defender said he was "really sad" about the World Cup exit: "Out dream was to reach the final and win [the tournament] and we haven't been able to do it."
Aguero, meanwhile, confirmed that he's not going anywhere. "I am ready to continue representing the national team. While the coach calls me up, I will be ready to come."
AND Sampaoli?
We don't know if the coach calling Aguero up will be Sampaoli or not. For now, the former Sevilla boss is clear: "I am not thinking about stepping aside," he said in his post game press conference.
The coach, one of those to be most criticised for the early KO, recognised that "it's really painful to have been knocked out of the World Cup, above all because of the effort the players put in on the pitch and they couldn't win."
