Lionel Messi has left behind a lasting legacy following his retirement from international football. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner finished his Argentina career with 125 goals, but his impact went far beyond the numbers he produced on the pitch.
His journey with the national team was far from straightforward. Messi endured years of disappointment and painful defeats before eventually changing the narrative and establishing himself as one of Argentina’s greatest-ever players.
He went on to lead Argentina through their most successful period in recent history, winning multiple Copa America titles, the Finalissima and, most importantly, the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Those triumphs silenced the doubters who had once questioned his legacy in international football.
The 39-year-old also shared a special bond with almost every player he represented Argentina alongside. The final generation of players he led held him in particularly high regard. Messi was their leader, and they were ready to give everything for him until the final whistle. They knew better than anyone about his extraordinary ability to change a game in an instant, something he continued to do throughout his remarkable career in the Argentina jersey.
The Argentine players paid rich tribute to Messi in lengthy social media posts, hailing the impact he had on their careers and the national team.
Rodrigo de Paul, who grew particularly close to Messi in recent years, poured his heart out in an emotional Instagram post, reflecting on their journey together.
“There’s something I always wanted throughout all these years: for every Argentine to truly know who you are. What you’re like when there are no cameras, no stadiums, when you’re simply yourself. You never liked that too much. You always felt that your boots were the best way to speak and that the football pitch was where you had to show everything you felt for your country. And I was lucky enough to see everything that happened behind the scenes,” De Paul wrote on in a long post for Messi.
Angel Di Maria, who shared the pitch with Messi for Argentina for nearly two decades, also penned an emotional farewell for his close friend and former international teammate. Reflecting on their journey together, Di Maria admitted how difficult it was to come to terms with Messi’s decision to retire from international football.
“How difficult it is to read that you are retiring. How difficult it is to read that we won’t see you anymore in the sky blue and white. All I know is that I was born in the right century to be able to watch you, enjoy you and, on top of that, share all these years with you in the national team. To watch you fulfil all your dreams, especially the one you wanted most: becoming world champion. Today, you decided to take that step that surely neither you nor any Argentine wanted to see come. But it has arrived, and today, as we have throughout your entire journey, we can only say: thank you, thank you so much, for everything. You are eternal and the greatest of all time in HISTORY,” Di Maria wrote.
Leandro Paredes, another of Messi’s long-time Argentina teammates, also shared an emotional message for the captain, admitting that even though he thought he was prepared for the news.
“I thought I was already prepared for this news, but clearly I wasn’t. THANK YOU,
For everything you did for me as an Argentine, as a fan of the national team, as a teammate and as a friend. Words fall short when it comes to you, your legacy and your greatness as a player, but above all, as a person. I am fortunate to have played alongside you throughout this beautiful journey with our national team… your national team. I love you, little one! May you always be happy! Our country will always be grateful to you for everything you made us experience!!!” he added.
Enzo Fernandez, who once dreamed of sharing the Argentina shirt with his idol, reflected on how that childhood dream eventually became a reality, culminating in the pair lifting the World Cup together.
“Leo, when you said you were leaving the national team that time, I was very sad. I was just a kid and I used to calculate the age difference between you and me to see if one day I might get to play alongside you. It may sound silly, but I really did it. I would think about how many years you might have left, how many I had before reaching the first team, and dream that, even if only once, we could share the Argentina shirt. Luckily, you came back. And life ended up being much more beautiful than that kid could have imagined. I didn’t just get to play with you. We shared training camps, dressing rooms, conversations, hugs, difficult moments, incredible moments and, in the end, we became world champions together,” he wrote.