Man, let me tell you. This whole thing started because of a stupid argument with my brother-in-law last weekend. We were watching some old clips on YouTube – you know, the usual rabbit hole stuff – and the 2014 World Cup Final popped up. We started talking about that Argentina squad, not just Messi, but the whole crew. Who was still playing? Who retired? The big question mark was on guys like Enzo Pérez or Biglia. I distinctly remembered Pérez but couldn’t place him, and my brother-in-law swore he saw Biglia playing somewhere obscure in Asia. We got heated, honestly. So, I just had to settle it. Not for a post, not for clicks, but just to win this one argument and prove I wasn’t just rambling from ten years ago.
The Hunt Kicks Off: Finding the Starting Point
My first move was obvious: I pulled up the official 23-man squad list. I didn’t trust just the first website I saw. I cross-checked three different reputable sports news sites to make sure I had the definitive, locked-in roster presented to FIFA in 2014. I needed the names exact, the positions, everything. That list became my war-room whiteboard. I didn’t use any fancy database or anything; I literally just created a simple spreadsheet on my tablet and logged three columns: Name, 2014 Club, and Current Status (Club/Retired/Coaching). Old school, but effective.
The Gritty Research Process: Digging Deep
I tackled the biggest names first. Messi, Di María, Mascherano. Those were easy. They’re global icons, their careers are public record. Messi is in the US, Di María is back in Europe, and Mascherano retired years ago and is now involved in coaching the youth setup. Quick, easy checkmarks. But that’s where the smooth sailing ended.
I then moved onto the defenders. This is where it got sticky. I remember guys like Garay and Demichelis being rock solid. I searched for Garay and found out he’d been retired a few years. Demichelis? He’s now managing back in the league. Seeing a former player transition to coaching always feels like a punch in the gut, reminding you how fast time goes. The real time sink was the lesser-known guys, the reserves who barely saw any minutes.
I specifically spent a good hour tracking down the actual current club of Augusto Fernández. It involved going through three different transfer market databases and checking news from Argentine and Spanish sources. It wasn’t as simple as searching “Augusto Fernández current club”; I had to look for his specific full name and confirmation of a contract. I confirmed he’d retired a couple of years back. Same goes for players like José Basanta and Hugo Campagnaro—I had to dig for their final contract details to confirm they had truly hung up the boots and weren’t just floating in a low-tier league somewhere.
The midfielders were a blast to track. I identified a few still playing professionally, which was honestly a bit of a surprise. I confirmed Lucas Biglia is still out there, proving my brother-in-law was actually right, much to my annoyance! He checked in with a high-profile Turkish club and is still grinding it out in his late thirties.
The Final Revelation: Where They Landed
After a full night of research, the finalized sheet was a mix of legends and guys who just vanished from the mainstream consciousness. It was fascinating to see the split.
This is what I found in broad strokes:
- The Legends Still Playing: Messi, Di María, and thankfully, Otamendi. All still playing at a high level, albeit in different continents.
- The Grinders Still Kicking: Guys like Biglia, being actual professionals and still getting a paycheck in Europe.
- The Transitioners: Mascherano and Demichelis. They went straight into management or coaching, showing they couldn’t stay away from the game.
- The Silent Retirees: The majority of the squad. Players who simply ended their careers, maybe got a testimonial, and then moved on to private life, like Ezequiel Garay and the third goalkeeper, Mariano Andújar. I had to really search for updates on their post-career activities.
What really hit me was that roughly half the squad has retired, and most of those who haven’t are over 35. It was less about who won the argument (I did, mostly, about the general status!) and more about seeing the end of an era. The practice of tracking them all down, one by one, gave me a real-time appreciation for what a player’s career arc looks like. It’s not just glory; it’s a grind until the day you suddenly stop.
It was a long night, but I got the job done and now have the definitive record. My brother-in-law is coming over tonight, and I’m ready to drop the full report on him. Next time, maybe I’ll track the 2006 England squad. That’ll be messy.