Lionel Messi's Legacy: Argentina Prepares for Life After the Legend
Lionel Messi is edging towards the end of his extraordinary international journey, and Argentina can already feel the void forming.
At 39, the captain will walk away as his country’s record appearance holder and all-time leading scorer: 125 goals in 207 caps, the face and heartbeat of the 2022 World Cup triumph. You don’t replace that. You learn to live without it.
Alexis Mac Allister knows exactly what is coming.
Speaking to ESPN, the midfielder didn’t bother searching for new superlatives. There aren’t any left. “The words for Messi are always the same: gratitude, and the realisation that there will never be another like him,” he said. “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.”
That emotion is already shaping the conversation inside the Argentina camp. This isn’t just about saying goodbye to a legend; it’s about rewiring a team that has been built around him for nearly two decades.
Mac Allister was blunt about that challenge. “It will be a different process with new players coming in,” he explained. “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.”
No more automatic out-ball to No.10. No more guaranteed moment of genius when the game drifts. Argentina, world champions with Messi as their compass, will soon have to find a new way to navigate.
The reverence, though, is not just about what he has done for the national team. It spills into every individual dream. Asked about Messi’s chances of lifting 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. “We all know that Leo has always prioritised the team over individual achievements, so it wouldn’t be a big deal for him.”
For Messi, perhaps not. For a country that has lived every step of his story, one more golden crown would feel like the perfect final brushstroke.
While the national team prepares for life after its icon, Mac Allister is juggling his own uncertainty at club level.
The Liverpool midfielder has already admitted he felt a sting when the club moved to extend the contracts of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, but not his. For a player who has become central to Liverpool’s midfield structure, it was a clear reminder: nothing is guaranteed, not even at “one of the best clubs in the world”, as he later called it.
He chose not to force a move away from Anfield in the summer, keeping faith in his place on Merseyside, yet the future still hangs open. “There’s no firm decision yet. I still have two years left on my contract,” Mac Allister 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. The door is not closed on a longer Liverpool stay, but neither is it locked against a new adventure.
For now, he leans into the present. “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.”
Mac Allister stands at a crossroads in his own career while watching the greatest of all time approach the final bend of his. Argentina will soon step into a future without Messi. The question is just as sharp for club and country: who are you when the man you’ve relied on is no longer there?
