Brazil watched helplessly as Messi won the Copa America for the first time.

Argentina continued to increase their record to 15 Copa America titles, but more importantly, the team's brightest star, Messi, won his first title at the national team level, along with being one of the two best players in the tournament (along with Neymar of Brazil).

Meanwhile, home advantage did not help Coach Tite's team play coherently or with enthusiasm. On the contrary, the opposing team had no difficulty isolating Neymar from the rest of the yellow-and-green team in a match full of sweat, blood, and… torn pants, ripped socks, arguments, and brawls.

Messi dribbles past Richarlison's marking.

Argentina's victory over their arch-rival Brazil was entirely deserved when considering the overall picture, asMessiHe performed better with 4 goals and 5 assists, while the rest also provided better support, sharing the burden better with Messi. When Argentina couldn't beat Colombia in 90 minutes in the semi-final, Martinez's outstanding performance in goal made the dream of reaching the final a reality. When Messi was tightly marked by opponents, Di Maria stepped up to shine, despite being completely silent before that.

Di Maria celebrates the opening goal with Messi.

Brazil paid dearly for a momentary lapse in concentration while pushing forward, rendering all subsequent efforts futile. After the unexpected goal, coach Tite substituted a defensive midfielder, then a full-back, adding one, then two forwards, going all-in with 4-5 attacking players. But the game only improved slightly without yielding the desired result.

The world's most flamboyant attacking team was powerless against a team that understood their opponent thoroughly, exploited their impatience with countless dirty tricks, and effortlessly disrupted the game, cutting short their opponent's momentum.

The moment Messi celebrated Argentina's first Copa America title since 1990.

It's also important to understand that while Brazil doesn't lack talent, Neymar alone isn't enough. The team always needs a "brain" who can surprise opponents with a few skillful plays, a truly world-class striker like Ronaldo or Ronaldonho in the past, to impose their style of play and hope to win matches as expected.

Many hoped Messi and Neymar would shine in an open, exciting match, but that didn't happen. Throughout the entire game, Messi only truly showed his form once, in the 88th minute, combining with a teammate from midfield, making an intelligent run to receive the ball in a clear position inside the 5.5-meter box, facing the opposing goalkeeper. Unfortunately, Messi played... very poorly in this situation, attempting to dribble past his opponent but being anticipated and losing the chance to finish off the opponent.

Messi also won the Best Player award at the 2021 Copa America.

And in reality, both Messi and Neymar have had very few opportunities to showcase their usual qualities on the pitch. In a decisive match, it's not surprising that victory often comes from an unexpected situation, one that no one could have predicted. Brazil and Argentina were excellent throughout the tournament and deserved to reach the final, but the final result belonged to whoever could surprise their opponent. That was Argentina, and that was Di Maria, a player familiar to football fans.

Ultimately, Argentina's victory at the 2021 Copa America was a beautiful, happy ending for star Messi, and it's highly likely he will reappear as a candidate for the 2021 FIFA Ballon d'Or, should other contenders at EURO 2020 fail to achieve success. However, this also means that Messi's brilliance is... fading, and the competition from rivals is heating up behind him, with some potentially overtaking him after the EURO 2020 final between England and Italy.

This also marks the first time Messi has won a major title with La Albiceleste.

Time waits for no one, and football's ability to change for victory waits for no one, not even Messi and Neymar. South American football is actually lagging behind the noticeable changes in European football. Individual roles are crucial in any team with players like Messi or Neymar, but it's time to fully realize that it's not difficult to neutralize and disrupt an individual's playing style, as seen in the aforementioned Copa America final.

And the truly admirable individual is the one who forges the strongest bond with their teammates, even when they're underperforming, creating opportunities for the entire team to win over a long period, like the Copa America for example, as Messi does. And that's precisely why a talent like Neymar has to endure the added hardship of "going back to school," honing his skills while waiting for his return to the game.