Argentina Prepares for Life After Messi: Mac Allister's Insights
Alexis Mac Allister knows exactly what is coming for Argentina. And he does not try to dress it up.
Messi is nearing the end. The captain, the reference point, the safety net. The 39-year-old will leave the national team as Argentina’s all-time record appearance holder and leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 caps for the 2022 World Cup winners. When he goes, he takes an era with him.
Mac Allister, speaking to ESPN, did not hide the scale of the void.
“The words for Messi are always the same: gratitude, and the realisation that there will never be another like him,” he 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.”
That emotion, though, comes with a hard footballing truth. Argentina will have to learn to live without the player who has shaped their identity for nearly two decades.
“It will be a different process with new players coming in,” the midfielder admitted. “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.”
No more automatic out-ball to No.10. No more certainty that, if the game tightened, Messi would find the angle, the pass, the finish. The structure will have to change, the responsibility spread. The shirt stays the same; the reality around it does not.
Even as he contemplates that future, Mac Allister still sees one more individual honour within Messi’s reach. Asked about the Ballon d'Or, he 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.”
The contrast is striking: a team bracing itself for life after Messi, while still pushing for one last golden crown for him.
Away from the national team, Mac Allister is wrestling with uncertainty of his own.
His situation at Liverpool is far less romantic, much more contractual. The midfielder has already admitted he felt disappointed that the club did not move to extend his deal, especially after fellow midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai were rewarded with new contracts.
He had chances to leave Anfield in the summer and chose to stay. Commitment, yes. Clarity, no.
“There's no firm decision yet. I still have two years left on my contract,” he explained. “As I said, I'm going to give it my all. A lot can happen in that time; there are plenty of options.”
For now, he plays on with a future that could tilt in several directions. His tone, though, stayed upbeat when he spoke about life on Merseyside.
“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.”
Argentina preparing for the day after Messi. Mac Allister weighing his next chapter at Liverpool. Two timelines running in parallel, both shaped by the same question: what happens when the figure at the centre of everything finally steps aside?
