Lionel Messi

When Lionel Messi announced his international retirement after missing in the penalty shootout defeat to Chile at the 2016 Copa América Final, he disappeared into the New Jersey night with the crushing final words: “For me, the national team is over. I’ve done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion. It’s been four finals, I tried. It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn’t get it, so I think it’s over.”

It wasn’t.

BUENOS AIRES — With his inauspicious Argentina debut nothing but a distant memory, Lionel Messi became his country's most capped player on Monday in their 4-1 Copa America victory over Bolivia.

A perennial candidate in the 'Greatest of All Time' debate, Messi marked the occasion in style with a virtuoso performance, scoring twice and setting up another in his 148th national team appearance, surpassing Javier Mascherano's record.

That didn't take long

On Monday evening in Brasília, Lionel Messi became Argentina’s joint-most capped player by equaling Javier Mascherano’s total of 147. Messi’s journey with La Albiceleste began in 2005, when he was just 18 but already world-renowned as Barcelona’s youngest-ever scorer and Ronaldinho’s heir apparent.

But it was Messi’s fellow 33-year-old, Papu Gómez — receiving just his sixth cap and only third start — who proved the difference in Argentina’s 1-0 group stage victory over Paraguay at the Copa América.