Football fans may have seen Lionel Messi at a World Cup for the final time on Saturday night.
After retiring from international football in 2016, before eventually reversing his decision, fans have always had their suspicions that Messi would quit for good after the tournament in Russia.
And the performances of Argentina at the competition will give him little in the way of confidence looking forward to Qatar 2022.
Messi may give it one final shot at the Copa America next year but a fourth and final World Cup campaign looks increasingly unlikely.
One man who hung his international boots immediately after the France defeat, though, was a certain Javier Mascherano and he implored his teammate not to make any rash decisions.
RUMOURS OF MESSI RETIRING FOR ARGENTINA
Mascherano told the press: “Messi needs to remain calm.
“He should go on vacation with his family and he should keep playing football because the day that Messi decides not to play, we are all going to find out what a great player he really is.”
Too right, Javier, but what of controversial manager Jorge Sampaoli?
France v Argentina: Round of 16 – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
JORGE SAMPAOLI SPEAKS OUT
The former Chile boss has always maintained a frosty relationship with Argentina supporters and there were rumours of mutiny within the camp at this World Cup.
And his parting comments on Messi just haven’t sit will with supporters.
Per Reuters, he told reporters of how he ‘tried everything to get best out of Messi.’
“We have the best player in the world and we had to try to create collective situations to really use that player who can have many brilliant moments,” Sampaoli explained.
“We tried many different tactics — surround him, create space for him … we tried to use everything we had to allow him to do what he can do.
“Sometimes we managed it, sometimes we didn’t.”
Russia 2018 has, so far at least, been the World Cup of the talismanic centre-forward. England have hat-trick hero Harry Kane, Diego Costa has popped up with vital goals for Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo tried dragging his Portugal team kicking and screaming towards the knockout stages and Romelu Lukaku has been in scintillating form for Belgium.
None, though, represent the essence of their team and the spirit of their nation in the same way as Uruguay’s number nine. With his infinite will to win, tireless work-rate and never-say-die attitude – attributes collectively referred to as Garra in his homeland – Luis Suarez personifies all that is treasured in Uruguayan football culture.
At 31, this will most likely be the last shot at the World Cup for Suarez, as well as for his team-mates Diego Godin and Edinson Cavani, three players who have marked an era in the history of La Celeste.
It is certainly the last stand for Oscar Washington Tabarez, the illustrious manager who has now led his country to four editions of football’s most prestigious tournament. All of them will be desperate to leave a lasting impression.
For Suarez on a personal level, it is also a chance for redemption. His relationship with the World Cup has been one of intense highs and desperate, self-inflicted lows.
First, there was the run to the semis in 2010. In the round-of-16 game against South Korea, he produced a herculean two-goal performance, but the lasting image of the tournament will always be the infamous off-the-line handball in the quarter-final against Ghana. Despite being decried as despicable cheating around the world, the move made him a hero at home, where winning is valued above all else.
Then there was Brazil 2014, in which he again followed a scintillating brace, this time against England, with another moment of enormous controversy. His bizarre bite on Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini in the third group game led to a nine-game international ban and severely damaged his team’s chance of progressing past the last 16, where they fell to a James Rodriguez-inspired Colombia.
This time around Uruguayans are hoping Suarez can repeat the heroics without the subsequent transgression.
So far, so good. In the second group game against Saudi Arabia, Uruguay struggled to take control, allowing the Saudis too much possession in the middle third and showing little attacking creativity.
But their star man was not to be deterred. In his hundredth appearance in the sky-blue shirt, Suarez wrestled his way past the attention of Salman Al-Faraj to convert an in-swinging corner for the only goal of the game. He celebrated by putting the ball under his shirt, a tribute to his wife, who is currently expecting the couple’s third child.
It was his 52nd international strike and with it, he became the first Uruguayan to score at three World Cups.
Against the hosts, in their final match of the first stage, the Barcelona man repeated the trick from a freekick after just 10 minutes. This time, it was his intelligence and speed of thought rather than determination and strength that got him on the scoresheet. Seeing Igor Akinfeev poorly positioned behind his wall, Suarez shot low and hard into the bottom corner on the goalkeeper’s side.
The goal seemed to inspire confidence in his side and the performance as a whole was far more promising than that in either of their first two outings. Tabarez deployed a midfield diamond with potential new Arsenal signing Lucas Torreira as the most defensive of the four and Juventus’ Rodrigo Bentancur the most advanced.
Even before Igor Smolnikov was shown a red card after 36 minutes, the switch allowed Uruguay to control the battle for the centre of the pitch much more effectively and, combined with the relentless pressing of Suarez and Cavani, provided a solid platform for their incisive counter-attacks.
Next, came a far tougher test than any of the three they have faced so far, La Celeste will take on Portugal for a place in the quarter-finals. Their progress, depended on Luis Suarez being in form and, more importantly, to avoid any unnecessary misdemeanours. And they did do the needful.
This is the third consecutive World Cup in which La Celeste have qualified for the last-16, an astonishing achievement for a nation of only 3 million people, and it is the first time in their history that they have won all three group games.
But they will not be satisfied with that alone. As the last chance for their golden generation, you can be certain that Uruguay will fight with every ounce of energy they have to go as deep as they can into the knockout rounds.
And Suarez, the physical embodiment of the famous Uruguayan Garra, will be leading the charge.