We may be witnessing "the beginning of the end" for Lionel Messi. At least, that’s one interpretation based on his 2024 numbers, which show him playing less and less—a potentially concerning trend for the Argentine national team.

Except for his first three years at Barcelona, when he played fewer than 40 matches across both club and country (9 in 2004, 37 in 2005, and 34 in 2006), Messi has reached as many as 76 games in a single season (2014), with an annual average of 57.3 matches. However, since his World Cup triumph in Qatar, that average has notably declined due to his departure from Paris Saint-Germain and his arrival in MLS: 51 matches in 2022, 44 in 2023, and only 35 so far in 2024.

Even in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Messi played 11 more matches than he has in 2024, making this year his lowest appearance total in 18 years. Nevertheless, his influence on the field remains evident. Messi has scored 23 goals in 25 matches for Inter Miami, showcasing that his impact is far from diminished.

Lionel Scaloni downplayed the significance of Messi’s extended break at the end of the footballing year: “We’re talking about a few weeks off, which may not mean much. It doesn’t affect the national team because we’re playing now (against Paraguay and Peru) and won’t compete again until March. The feeling is that Inter Miami could have reached the finals, but regarding rest, it doesn’t change anything for us,” the coach said.

Argentina’s national team will resume action on March 19 and 24, 2025, with matches against Uruguay in Montevideo and Brazil.

Messi will end 2024 with 11 appearances for Argentina, spread across friendlies, the Copa América, and the CONMEBOL qualifiers. He scored six goals (as of the match against Peru), distributed across Guatemala (two), Canada (one), and Bolivia (three). However, injuries kept him out of matches against El Salvador and Costa Rica, as well as the September fixtures against Chile and Colombia.