Lionel Messi's Legacy and Argentina's Future
Lionel Messi is edging towards the end. Not just of a cycle, but of an era that has defined Argentina for a generation.
At 39, the captain will walk away as his country’s record appearance holder and record goalscorer, with 125 goals in 207 caps for the 2022 World Cup winners. Those numbers will sit in the history books for decades. The void behind them will be felt immediately.
Alexis Mac Allister knows it. You can hear it in the way he talks about the man who has carried a nation.
“The words for Messi are always the same: gratitude, and the realisation that there will never be another like him,” he told ESPN. No exaggeration there. Just a cold, simple truth from someone who has lived the last, glorious chapter alongside him.
They have squeezed every last drop out of this partnership. Copa América, Finalissima, World Cup. “We've enjoyed our time with him immensely. We're also grateful to him for everything he's helped us win. It's sure to be a very emotional occasion,” Mac Allister said, looking ahead to the moment the armband passes on for good.
Life After Messi
Argentina have spent years fearing this question. Now it can’t be dodged.
Mac Allister didn’t dress it up. The national team, he insisted, will have to change once their No.10 is gone.
“It will be a different process with new players coming in,” the midfielder explained. The message was clear: no more waiting for Messi to conjure the solution. “We need to start realising that the best player in the world, the one who made all the difference, won't be there anymore, and that we'll have to grow stronger as a team.”
The pressure that once fell almost entirely on Messi’s shoulders will have to be shared. Structure over stardust. Collective responsibility over individual genius. That is the next evolution for the world champions.
One More Ballon d’Or?
Before the curtain finally comes down, there is still the matter of individual recognition.
Asked about Messi’s chances of another Ballon d’Or, Mac Allister didn’t hesitate. “As Argentines we'd love for Messi to win it. He had an incredible World Cup and I don't see why he shouldn't be awarded it,” he said.
The argument is simple: the greatest player on the biggest stage, delivering when it mattered most. Mac Allister also underlined what has always set Messi apart in that debate. “We all know that Leo has always prioritised the team over individual achievements, so it wouldn't be a big deal for him.”
For Argentina, though, it would be one last golden stamp on a career that has already rewritten the sport’s limits.
Uncertainty at Anfield
While he contemplates a national team without Messi, Mac Allister is living with his own uncertainty at club level.
The midfielder has already admitted to feeling disappointed that Liverpool have not moved to extend his contract, particularly after fellow midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai received new deals. For a player who has quickly become a central figure at Anfield, that hesitation from the club stings.
He resisted chances to leave in the summer, choosing to stay and fight for his place under the new regime. Yet his future remains open.
“There's no firm decision yet. I still have two years left on my contract,” he explained. “As I said, I'm going to give it my all. A lot can happen in that time; there are plenty of options.”
That line says plenty. Commitment in the short term, no guarantees beyond it.
Even so, Mac Allister’s affection for Liverpool is obvious. “Hopefully it'll be for more years, but if it's just two, I'll have to enjoy them with my family, because I have no doubt that I'm at one of the best clubs in the world.”
Argentina preparing for the day Messi walks away. Liverpool weighing how far to invest in one of his heirs. Mac Allister stands in the middle of both stories, knowing that in football, even the greatest chapters eventually give way to the next.
