Argentina has fallen short once more. Tragically, the 4-3 last 16 defeat against France at Russia 2018 on Saturday not only ended La Albiceleste’s involvement at the tournament but may have also spelled the last roll of the dice for members of a ‘golden’ generation, from which so much was expected, to don the national team colours.
Sadly, many of the key components of a squad that won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008 and two U20 FIFA World Championships in 2005 and 2007, before going on to complete a trilogy of failures as seniors in the finals of the World Cup and two consecutive Copa Americas at the hands of Chile, will be too old to compete in Qatar in 2022, may have already retired, or find themselves surplus to requirements as the new blood of a footballing-mad nation attempts to end its 25 year curse in the search for major silverware.
While Javier Mascherano, now 34 years of age and plying his trade in the Chinese Super League, stepped down shortly after the final whistle had been blown on a Kylian Mbappé-induced defeat at the weekend that highlighted his best days are already well behind him, players along the backline such as Federico Fazio (31) Gabriel Mercado (31) and goalkeepers Sergio Romero (31), Willy Caballero (36) and Franco Armani (31) are all likely to have succumbed to father time when the next installment of football’s marquee event has rolled around.
Like Mascherano, 32-year-old Lucas Biglia also took a bow after Argentina were sent packing and could be joined by a pairing of Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega that will be 34 four years from now. Up front, Sergio Agüero, who has vowed to continue as long as needed, and Gonzalo Higuain will also boast exactly the same age while Messi, then a year older at 35, may not even make it to the end of the month as a long-suffering Argentine international.
Yet while it remains evident that Argentina are in dire need of restructuring and the injection of fresh legs, all may not be lost for those that wish to soldier on. Next year, the Copa America takes place in Brazil and provides those who stick around from the golden generation what would surely be the final, final opportunity to achieve redemption.
Today was his 147th cap.
