Lionel Messi is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. An Argentine by birth, he rose to stardom playing in Europe. Messi has won almost every accolade possible for a professional soccer player–save one–the World Cup. He's never been able to lead his Argentine national team to victory and he says this year's competition will be his final attempt.
In The Last Cup, a new bilingual podcast series from NPR and Futuro Studios, NPR's Jasmine Garsd looks at how Messi has wrestled with the disappointment of the home crowd after each devastating World Cup loss. Over time, his connection to his own country has been questioned after spending time abroad. Garsd, an immigrant from Argentina herself asks: What can Messi's story tell us about the cost of leaving home, and the struggle to return?
Listen to The Last Cup in Spanish and English on NPR One, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
