The long, uncertain wait was over. Just shy of nine months since his last Argentina outing Lionel Messi returned to the international fold in Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano, the Albiceleste legend backed by an entire nation who had begged and pleaded for their prodigal son to end his self-imposed exile.
It then took less than six minutes for the captain to see just how daunting a challenge lies ahead for his national team, and perhaps in the darkest corners of his mind even begin to regret his decision.
Just three players other than Messi, goalkeeper Franco Armani and defensive pair Nicolas Tagliafico and Gabriel Mercado, survived the cull that followed World Cup defeat to France on June 30, 2018, and lined up against Venezuela.