Copa America Showdown: Argentine Veteran's Last Dance vs. Colombian Confidence

As fans anticipate the Copa America final, Argentines hope for another victory with Lionel Messi before his international career ends. In Buenos Aires, Messi-themed dishes are popular. Meanwhile, Colombians are confident and President Petro has declared a potential public holiday if they win.

Colombian fans are preparing for victory celebrations ahead of Sunday's Copa America final, while Argentines hope that Lionel Messi and their other heroes can pull off another triumph before ending their international careers.

Forward Angel Di Maria, 36, has already announced that this Copa will be his last tournament for defending champions Argentina. Captain Lionel Messi, 37, and defender Nicolas Otamendi, 36, are also nearing the end of their stellar international careers. "If Di Maria retires from soccer tomorrow, we’ve honored him and all the goals he scored," said Buenos Aires restaurant owner Christian Franco, who is serving special beef schnitzels ahead of the game, depicting the faces of Di Maria and others.

Messi’s face adorns the "Mila-Messi" dish, a play on the word "milanesa", which is a popular breaded meat offering. Victory over Colombia in Florida would represent Argentina’s third consecutive international title with Messi at the helm, following the 2022 World Cup and 2021 Copa America.

Despite more than 1,000 games in a glittering career, Messi is currently suffering from muscle injuries, is not part of Argentina's squad for the Paris Olympics, and has stated he can’t play all the time at his age. Try telling that to the fans, though.

"Messi hasn’t retired yet, the World Cup is next!" insisted Guillermo Farfan, 21, from Buenos Aires, hoping Messi would lift the Copa on Sunday and then continue to 2026. COLOMBIAN CONFIDENCE

Despite Argentina’s top ranking in the world, Colombia, ranked 11 places lower, are on a roll. They beat heavyweights Uruguay en route to the final and are on a remarkable unbeaten run of 28 games. "Colombia couldn’t have done better in this Copa America," said 45-year-old Andrea Archila, who is already planning her post-match street celebrations in Bogota on Sunday. "We are going to win."

President Gustavo Petro has pre-emptively declared that government offices will close on Monday if Colombia wins their first major trophy since 2001. Back in Buenos Aires, few Argentina fans have post-match celebratory plans to avoid jinxing the outcome.

"You can’t assume a win," said chef Damian Zanotti. "But we are confident."