Argentina came home without their captain. While the rest of the squad rode an open bus through Buenos Aires to the Lionel Andres Messi Training Center — fans lining the streets with flags and jerseys after a World Cup final defeat to Spain — Messi was somewhere else entirely.
He stayed in the United States. Inter Miami called, and preparation for the MLS season took priority over the homecoming ceremony. The AFA had flagged before the tournament ended that several players wouldn't make the return flight, and Messi was always going to be on that list given his club commitments stateside.
He did come back — just quietly
Messi eventually returned to Argentina on a private jet, separate from the squad's very public arrival. No open bus. No stadium crowds. Just a low-key landing while the fanfare had already moved on.
He's expected to link up with Inter Miami in the last week of July or early August, which leaves him a narrow window before MLS resumes. Whether he arrives fully sharp or needs a few weeks to find his rhythm matters — Miami's season-end positioning and any playoff push will likely hinge on his form more than any other single factor.
The rest of the squad who did return reads like a who's who of the Argentine first team: Emiliano Martinez, Lisandro Martinez, Mac Allister, Paredes, Lo Celso, Montiel, Tagliafico — the core that's carried this generation through two World Cups. They got their moment with the supporters, even if that moment came in defeat.
The final itself
Argentina couldn't defend the title they won in Qatar. Spain's La Roja took the 2026 World Cup Final in New York, with substitute Ferran Torres scoring the winner. Messi finished the tournament as the second-highest goalscorer — productive to the end, but without the trophy this time.
He's 38 in June. This was almost certainly his last World Cup. The quiet return home, private jet, no parade — that might be exactly the ending a player like him would choose.
