Argentina say goodbye as Messi announces national team retirement
Lionel Messi confirmed on Monday the 31st that he will no longer play for the Argentina national team, posting the announcement on his social‑media accounts. The 39‑year‑old forward ended a more‑than‑twenty‑year spell wearing the Argentinian shirt, prompting immediate tributes from teammates.
Teammates hail Messi's legacy
Rodrigo de Paul, Argentina midfielder and Inter Miami player, lauded Messi’s “unconditional love for our country, his internal battles to never give up, his strength to always bear injustices, his leadership and his human quality with each player entering the CT, making them feel good, the details and the attention with each staff member of our seleção… We can only thank. The greatest of all history.”
Ángel Di María, the Argentine striker, added: “We will be eternally grateful to you for having taken Argentina to the top of the world. For having chosen to be Argentine when you could have chosen something else. Thank you, Captain. Thank you for everything. The best in history.”
Franco Colapinto, the sole Argentine driver in Formula 1, also paid tribute, writing: “We are very fortunate to have had you and to have been able to enjoy you for so long. Thank you for getting up again and again and for giving everything to make an entire country happy.”
Press reflects on Messi's departure
La Nación noted that after 22 years in which everything revolved around Messi, the Argentine Football Association has not scheduled any friendly for the next FIFA date, adding that the national team fee will change without him, regardless of whether the star can appear in a farewell match.
Diario Olé highlighted that Messi mentioned his father’s death as one of the reasons for his decision, quoting the paper: “The decision had arisen after the final. The death of Jorge did not provoke it: it only confirmed it… Behind the football announcement there is also a deeply personal decision. The national team was a huge part of his life, but his family also was.”
The Argentine Football Association now faces a new reality, needing to arrange future fixtures and adjust the national‑team budget in the absence of the Argentino icon.