Copa America: Lionel Messi sheds tears of joy as he slays Maracana demon after 7-year wait

It took 16 years for Lionel Messi to finally achieve his dream of winning an international tournament with Argentina as they beat Brazil at Maracana Stadium on Sunday to lift the Copa America 2021 title. Angel Di Maria's goal in the first half was enough for La Albiceleste to become the continental champions, a title which the team has been chasing for the past few years. For Messi, lifting the trophy at Maracana was like slaying the ghost from the past.

Messi burys the Maracana demon 

Back in 2014, Messi and Argentina suffered a heartbreaking loss to Germany in the final of the FIFA World Cup. Post the heartbreaking loss Messi had said,  "I don't care about the prize. I don't care about anything. Right now, nothing can console me - not the award or anything else. I wanted to take Argentina to the World Cup for all the people. I believe this World Cup deserved another final because we had chances. We reached the final... but we're disappointed not to have won this game. There's a lot of anger."

Post the World Cup loss,  Argentina suffered two back-to-back Copa America final losses (2015 and 2016 ), both coming against Chile in the penalty shootout. Following the loss in the Copa America final 2016 the Barcelona superstar shockingly announced his retirement. ESPN had quoted Messi saying, "I tried my hardest. It's been four finals, and I was not able to win. I tried everything possible. It hurts me more than anyone, but it is evident that this is not for me. I want more than anyone to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately, it did not happen." The footballer however reconsidered the decision later on and returned to the national team. Seven years on from the World Cup final loss, Messi can now only breathe a sigh of relief and also cement his legacy among one of the greats after capturing the continental title. The ghost that had started haunting the champion footballer in Maracana have been laid to rest at the same venue. 

Lionel Messi performance in Copa America 

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner scored a total of four goals enroute to the title win. Messi scored three goals during the group stages and his last goal had come during the quarterfinal clash against Ecuador where they made a smooth passage to the semis with a clinical  3-0 victory. Apart from scoring four goals, Lionel Messi also made a tremendous impact with five assists that helped Argentina earn a place in the final.

Image: @CopaAmerica/ Twitter