Lionel Messi is edging towards the final chapter of his international story, and Argentina can already feel the weight of what comes next.
At 39, he will leave the Albiceleste as their undisputed standard-bearer: 207 caps, 125 goals, a World Cup lifted in 2022 and an era defined almost entirely in his image. When he walks away, he does so as the country’s record appearance maker, record goalscorer and emotional reference point.
For those left behind, the scale of the void is obvious. Few understand it better than Alexis Mac Allister.
“There will never be another like him”
Speaking to ESPN, the Liverpool midfielder did not even attempt to dress it up. Messi is irreplaceable, and everyone inside that dressing room knows it.
“The words for Messi are always the same: gratitude, and the realisation that there will never be another like him,” Mac Allister 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.”
This is not just about numbers or medals. It is about the presence of a player who, for nearly two decades, has been the solution to almost every problem Argentina faced on a football pitch. When the game tightened, Messi unlocked it. When the pressure rose, he carried it.
Soon, that security blanket disappears.
Mac Allister was clear: the national team cannot simply hope to stumble into a new identity once their captain finally steps away. It has to be built.
“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.”
That is the challenge. Argentina will no longer have the luxury of leaning on a singular genius. They will need to spread responsibility, adapt tactically, and find fresh leaders in a squad that has grown used to following one man.
Ballon d’Or backing from within
Messi’s future with the national team may be winding down, but his legacy continues to echo through the game’s biggest individual prize.
Asked about his captain’s chances of claiming 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. “We all know that Leo has always prioritised the team over individual achievements, so it wouldn’t be a big deal for him.”
It was a reminder of how Messi’s standing among his team-mates remains anchored not only in his talent, but in the way he has used it. For them, any individual accolade is simply a late flourish on a career that has already reshaped their country’s football history.
Club uncertainty for Mac Allister
While the national team prepares, slowly and reluctantly, for life after Messi, Mac Allister is wrestling with a more personal uncertainty.
His situation at Liverpool is no longer straightforward. The midfielder has already admitted he felt disappointed the club did not move to extend his contract, particularly after fellow midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai secured new deals.
He stayed put in the summer, turning down chances to leave Anfield, but the questions have not gone away.
“There’s no firm decision yet. I still have two years left on my contract,” he said. “As I said, I’m going to give it my all. A lot can happen in that time; there are plenty of options.”
It is a pragmatic stance, but not a cold one. Mac Allister still speaks about Liverpool with the warmth of a player who knows exactly how privileged he is to be there.
“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.”
So Mac Allister stands at a crossroads on two fronts. With Argentina, he is part of the generation tasked with guiding the world champions into the post-Messi era. With Liverpool, he is playing for a future that remains unwritten.
Messi’s farewell will come, and with it a new reality for his country. The question is whether players like Mac Allister can turn that looming absence into the start of something just as formidable, built not on one genius, but on the collective strength he helped inspire.
