It seems only moments have passed since Nestor Pitana blew the final whistle in Luzhniki Stadium; only a blink of an eye since Vladimir Putin sheltered under his brolly as Emmanuel Macron got soaked and Hugo Lloris thrust the Jules Rimet trophy into the Moscow night sky. But already the first post-World Cup friendlies are upon us. And that means the start of a new four-year cycle and, for many teams, the start of a process of renewal and revitalisation. None more so than for Argentina. The South American nation had a disastrous tournament in Russia, crashing out to France in the round-of-16 after scraping through their group. They turned in some abject performances, including the 3-0 loss at the hands of Croatia and the 1-1 draw with Iceland, and showed no cohesion or clear idea of how to approach the game. For that, manager Jorge Sampaoli has since been ousted. The Albiceleste also had one of the oldest squads in Russia, with an average age of 29.3. When compared with France’s 26, it becomes clear why the team is in such bad need of an injection of youthful energy. Some of the older players – veterans of previous World Cups like Gonzalo Higuain, Javier Mascherano, and Lucas Biglia – will have to be moved on for good, whilst others will be phased out over the course of the next four years. But there is, of course, one man whose decision dominates the discussion above all else: Lionel Messi. For other players, their continued selection is not up to them; only the manager will decide whether they are wanted or not. But Messi is a special case; his future firmly in his hands. And for now, he has decided to take a step away from the international limelight. In August, the Argentine Football Association announced that their star player will not take to the field in the Albiceleste shirt “at least until the end of the year.” This will provide time for Messi to rest, clear his head and mull over his options, and an opportunity for interim manager Lionel Scaloni to introduce new faces into the team. As Scaloni said when he presented his youthful squad for upcoming friendlies against Guatemala and Colombia, “We have not [yet] spoken about what will happen in the future. We all know what [Messi] represents, we will see what comes to pass.” In January, then, Messi will face a pivotal decision – one of the biggest of his illustrious career. Will he leave the national team behind for good to concentrate only on Barcelona? If he did, it would likely prolong his club career. For South American players, travelling back and forth across the Atlantic for every international break can take its toll.