Lionel Messi's Impact on Argentina: A Legacy to Fill
Lionel Messi is edging towards the final chapter of his extraordinary international career, and Argentina can already feel the void opening up beneath them.
At 39, he 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 belong to the history books. The problem for Argentina is the present – and what comes next.
Mac Allister: “There will never be another like him”
Alexis Mac Allister is under no illusions about the scale of the hole Messi will leave behind. Speaking to ESPN, the midfielder laid bare both the squad’s admiration and their looming reality.
“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 will soon give way to cold tactical decisions. Messi has been Argentina’s reference point for almost two decades – the man everything flowed through. Mac Allister knows that when the captain finally steps away, the national team cannot simply carry on as before.
“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 single heir. No like-for-like replacement. Just a group forced to evolve without the player who has defined an era.
Ballon d’Or backing for a World Cup king
Messi’s international twilight still carries the weight of individual honours. Asked about his captain’s chances of lifting another Ballon d’Or, Mac Allister did not 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.
Then came the reminder of what drives Messi, at least in the eyes of his teammates.
“We all know that Leo has always prioritised the team over individual achievements, so it wouldn’t be a big deal for him,” Mac Allister added.
For Argentina’s dressing room, the debate around awards feels almost secondary. The World Cup in Qatar is already the ultimate validation. Anything else is a coda.
Club uncertainty amid Anfield admiration
Away from the national team, Mac Allister is dealing with a very different kind of uncertainty.
The Liverpool midfielder has already admitted to being disappointed that the club have not yet offered him a contract extension. That frustration sharpened when fellow midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai received new deals while his own future remained unresolved.
He stayed at Anfield through the summer despite chances to move on, but his next step is still undecided.
“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.”
So he plays on in a kind of controlled limbo: committed on the pitch, open-ended off it.
Yet his affection for life on Merseyside 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,” he said.
One career is winding down on the international stage, another sits at a crossroads at club level. For Mac Allister, navigating life after Messi with Argentina while fighting for his long-term place at Liverpool might define the next phase of his own story.
