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Lionel Messi confirms his retirement from international football through a heartfelt handwritten note posted on Instagram, ending an era that began in his teenage years and reached its pinnacle with the 2022 World Cup triumph. The announcement sparks emotional tributes from teammates, cultural figures, and ordinary supporters across Argentina, while raising questions about the future of a national team facing institutional turmoil and the absence of its greatest player.
Lionel Messi has confirmed his retirement from international football, bringing to a close an era that began when he first wore the Argentina shirt as a teenager and culminated in the 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar.
The decision, communicated through a handwritten note posted on his official Instagram account, was accompanied by photographs of three handwritten sheets of paper and a soundtrack featuring Brindis sung by Soledad Pastorutti. Within hours, the announcement dominated global news cycles and triggered an extraordinary wave of tributes from teammates, journalists, cultural figures, and ordinary supporters across Argentina and beyond.
The emotional weight of the moment was already evident earlier in the summer, when cameras captured him in tears after a match in New Jersey on July 19th. Those sobs were not born from a single defeat but from the realisation that the journey shared with his current group of international teammates had reached its natural conclusion after eight remarkable years.
The reaction from within the national team setup made it clear that while the timing may have felt sudden, the news itself was not entirely unexpected. Cristian Romero, the Tottenham Hotspur defender, posted a message addressing Messi as dear Leo and acknowledged that the day had arrived even though no one wanted it to. Giovani Lo Celso reflected on nine years spent alongside the captain, describing a period of admiration and learning.
Younger players like Nico Paz spoke of childhood memories, recalling how he used to watch Messi play with his father and calculate whether he might one day share a pitch with him. These testimonies painted a picture of a dressing room that viewed Messi not merely as a teammate but as a living symbol of possibility, a figure whose presence had shaped their personal and professional ambitions since boyhood.
Beyond the squad, the response from the Argentine public was equally heartfelt. In Buenos Aires, a red telephone was placed on a street corner with a sign asking passersby what they would say to Messi if given the chance. An 86-year-old man declared that the player had given him the greatest joys of his life and would remain in his heart until the day he died. A young boy burst into tears at school upon hearing the news.
A well-spoken woman expressed that the nation would miss him because he was an extraordinary being, while a little girl simply told him he was the best and the greatest. An elderly man signed off with a tender bye. The tributes extended into the cultural and intellectual spheres. Influencers, journalists, artists, and psychologists weighed in with gratitude.
Sportswriter Matías Martin praised the way Messi led by example, while motivational speaker Matias Coco Gallo Bevegni noted that the World Cup winner had taught him more in defeat than in victory. Football pundit Morena Beltrán fought back tears on air, explaining to older colleagues that her generation was experiencing a genuine sense of mourning and emptiness. Psychoanalyst Milagros Filgueras applauded the decision to handwrite the note, suggesting that some farewells require the physical body to be involved.
Journalist Pablo Perantuono reflected on the epistolary genre, calling a handwritten letter in the digital age a countercultural act of originality. Writer Andrés Burgo pointed out that in ten of the past twelve World Cups, either Maradona or Messi had played, making this farewell the true end of an era spanning almost 45 years in which four generations of Argentines shared an extraordinary privilege. The heir will arrive, he wrote, but right now is a time of orphanage, and gratitude.
Messi later revealed that the letter had actually been drafted just two days after the World Cup final, a cathartic diary-like release that captured his emotions at the peak of triumph. On Monday, after speaking with his father, he felt more convinced than ever that the moment had come. The note itself stated that the decision hurt and continues to hurt, but he understood it was time.
He swore that he had always given everything, not only during the victorious years when everything was won but throughout his entire career. Notably, he never speaks in the first person singular about triumph, always using we or it, reflecting a deeply ingrained sense of collective identity.
The poet Valeria Correa Fiz observed a subtle but revealing edit in the text, noting that he originally wrote I think, crossed it out, and replaced it with I understand, a linguistic shift that conveyed acceptance rather than mere opinion. At 39, Messi continues to play at club level, recently scoring four goals for Inter Miami at the weekend, and is not retiring from the sport he loves. He is retiring from representing Argentina.
With two international dates approaching and no rival yet confirmed for fixtures, the absence of Messi from the squad will inevitably shape how the national side prepares for the future. The broader context surrounding Argentine football remains turbulent, with scandals involving the Argentine Football Association, lobbying efforts to privatise non-profit clubs, and lingering controversies stemming from incidents during the World Cup that resulted in hefty fines and sanctions.
Against this backdrop, Messi's departure leaves a void that extends far beyond the pitch
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