Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football after his final match for Argentina, thanking teammates and fans for two decades of support.
“I have nothing left to do but thank this shirt,” the World Cup-winning captain said in an emotional speech.
‘The time has come’
Messi said stepping away from the national team would be painful. “Not coming here anymore and no longer being with the Argentina National Team is going to hurt a lot,” he said. “If it were up to me, I would love to be here for my entire life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing there is.”
“I think I’m talking more than ever today because I simply don’t want this moment to end. But I think the time has come for me to retire.”
He said the last World Cup had taken a heavy toll on the squad. “We arrived in the final with just enough left in us, but we fought until the very end, like we always did,” he said, adding that the team came “very close to winning it again”.
Credit to teammates
Messi recalled the 2022 World Cup triumph, along with the Copa América and Finalissima titles. He said the success belonged to a wider group of players.
“So many teammates fought alongside me for this shirt long before we finally became world champions. Never doubt how much every one of them fought and gave for Argentina.”
“To achieve the biggest things, you need a strong group. And it’s during the most difficult moments that you truly discover what kind of team you have.”
Message to the fans
Messi thanked Argentine supporters who followed the team around the world. “Wherever we went in the world, it felt like we were playing at home because we could always feel your support.”
He urged fans to stay united behind the team. “Difficult moments will come, and those are the moments when you have to support the team more than ever,” he said. “There will always be people who want to see the National Team fail, and we can’t give them that satisfaction.”
He said his first home match after the World Cup win was “one of the happiest days of my life”, and that his farewell might be “one of the saddest”.
“I’m going to miss all of you so much, but I’ll always be on your side,” he said, mentioning his father first among those he thought of. He closed with: “I love you all, and I’m proud to be Argentine.”
