Argentina’s players returned home to a hero’s reception last night, although all the talk was around one man who was not there: Lionel Messi.

Messi remained in the United States following Sunday’s World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey, and flew back to his home in Miami rather than joining his team-mates on the charter back to Buenos Aires.

The 39-year-old is expected to spend a few days in South Florida before travelling back to his home town of Rosario to see his father Jorge, who has been suffering from an undisclosed illness.

Messi has to decide whether to continue playing for Argentina after another remarkable World Cup in which he scored eight goals and added four assists in eight games to provide the inspiration for Argentina’s run to the final.

Reports in his homeland suggest Messi, who has scored 125 goals in 207 appearances, has played his last World Cup but is willing to play on until the 2028 Copa America, a tournament scheduled to be hosted by Ecuador but could yet be switched to the USA.

Argentina do not have to qualify for the 2030 World Cup as one of six co-hosts and CONMEBOL may implement a new format similar to the Nations League in Europe to determine which of the other teams advance.

Messi – I hold on to all the good things

Messi’s disappointment at the defeat to Spain was evident at the time with tears pouring down his face. He took to Instagram last night to thank the Argentina fans for their support.

He wrote: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message.

“The pain is immense and this wound will take time to heal. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine.

“It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals.

“I also hold onto all the good things. The matches we turned around by giving it our all – moments that will remain in our memories forever – and the support of an entire country which, combined with this group’s hard work and effort, brought us back among the world’s elite once again.

“I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the title.”

Messi could continue under new boss if Scaloni walks away

Messi’s future is thought to be unrelated to that of Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who hinted yesterday that he would leave the role when his contract expires in December.

He said: “I’ll be here until December, and then I’ll probably stop.

“Honestly, I feel the need to think because I don’t know if we’ll be able to do something as grand as this. We would need to talk. I am grateful to the president of the AFA for giving me this opportunity. To be in a place that I am in, which is a dream for everyone. 

“We tried until the last minute to give it our all, the coaching staff and players. I think it’s just that I take the time to think.

“This place is marvellous. To continue, we need a lot of things. We need to reset. We need to form a group like this one, which is difficult to form again. It hurts my soul. I’m sorry.”

Scaloni was front and centre as the Argentina delegation landed home last night and was treated to an open-top bus parade from the airport with thousands of fans lining the streets to hail their efforts.