Messi: 'I want to change history with the Argentina national team'

Lionel Messi urged his Argentina teammates to give their all to avenge their defeat to Chile in the 2016 Copa América final.

Messi captained Argentina to the finals of two consecutive major tournaments: the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa America. The 29-year-old striker was voted "Best Player" in both tournaments, but he and his teammates only finished as runners-up. In Brazil, Argentina lost to Germany in extra time in the World Cup final. Last summer, Argentina lost to hosts Chile in a penalty shootout in the Copa America final.

On Sunday evening, June 25th, in New Jersey (USA), Argentina and Chile met again in the final match of the 100th Copa America.

Messi is on the verge of winning his first title with the national team. Photo: Reuters.

"Now is not the time to play without winning anything, because we are very close to the goal we came here to achieve," Messi urged his teammates to unite to avoid further heartbreak against Chile.

The Barcelona striker added: “In this tournament last year, we matured a lot as a team, reaching the final together in the true spirit of a team. We are very happy and excited for this final.”

Messi won the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2005 with the Argentina youth team and a gold medal with the Olympic team in Beijing in 2008. However, with the senior national team, he has only won silver medals at the 2014 World Cup and the 2007 and 2015 Copa America tournaments.

“I want to change things, I want to make history with the national team, I want to become a champion with Argentina. We have proven to be a strong team throughout this tournament. It would not just be a defeat, but a huge disappointment if we lost a third consecutive final, after the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa America. Hopefully, we can win this Sunday's final and enjoy this moment of glory,” emphasized Messi, the record holder of five FIFA Ballon d'Or titles.

According to VNE