Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) - "I have emptied myself, I have no more to give"... With those words Lionel Messi, for many the best footballer in history, announced this Monday his retirement from the Argentina national team after 21 years and four titles, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

First modification: 08/31/2026 - 18:55 Last modification: 08/31/2026 - 22:03

Below are the main reactions to the farewell announcement of the 39-year-old Flea:

Former national team teammates:

-Rodrigo De Paul, also Messi's teammate at Inter Miami:

"Your unconditional love for our country, your internal battles to never give up, your strength to always endure injustice, your leadership and human quality with each player who entered the field to make them feel good, the details with each worker on our team... Just thank you, the greatest in all of history, thank you for making us so, so happy, you can't imagine how many smiles you brought out!! You are eternal."

-Enzo Fernandez:

"You always had a word, an advice, a hug or simply the way to make me feel calm when I needed it. I will never forget that. Today it is difficult for me to imagine the next training camp without you. Going out on the field and not seeing you ahead, with the 10. It was so many years seeing you there that it seems impossible to think about it any other way. How lucky I was, Leo."

-Leandro Paredes:

"Thank you for absolutely everything. You are and will always be the greatest of all. We love you captain."

-Cristian "Cuti" Romero:

"I love you, I admire you and I will always be grateful for everything you left for me and for our country. Thank you eternally, captain."

-Ángel Di María:

"How difficult it is to read that we are not going to see you again in the light blue and white. I only know that I was born in the right century to be able to see you, enjoy you and, above all, be able to share with you all these years of selection. Seeing you fulfill all your dreams and the most desired one was to be world champion. Today you decided to take that step that surely neither you nor all the Argentines wanted to come. But it came and today, like all our lives, we are going to say thank you very much for everything. You are eternal and the best of all the HISTORY".

-Gerónimo Rulli:

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet Leo, the human being. You are eternal. But not only for what you gave us as a player, but because you showed us the path of resilience, of work, of camaraderie, and above all things of love for our country. We are going to miss you very much."

-Lisandro Martínez:

"It is a huge sadness (...) With all my heart, thank you. You are the best footballer in history."

-Giovanni Lo Celso:

"Your legacy will be eternal (...). We are blessed to have shared so many things with you. THANK YOU FOR SO MUCH CAPTAIN, WE LOVE YOU."

-Lautaro Martínez:

"Thank you for every advice, every talk, every training, every hug and every shared moment. Thank you for making history with us and for allowing us to be part of your story. We are going to miss you very much, captain. We are going to be eternally grateful to have been able to share this path with you."

Football institutions

-Argentine National Team:

"Thank you eternally, Leo. We will love you until the end of our days."

-Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, president of the AFA:

"You made us believe in magic, Leo. And, perhaps, that is why it is difficult for us to accept that time also passes for you. The Predio bears your name because it is your home. The Argentine National Team jersey is your flag. And the love of our people for you is forever."

-Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA:

"Thank you for bringing so much joy to millions of football fans. You retire from international football as a FIFA World Cup champion and as one of the best players our sport has ever had. I wish you the best."

-Conmebol:

"A very big story."

-UEFA:

"Historic national career."

-Major League Soccer:

"21 years. 207 appearances. A legendary career with Argentina."

-Olympics:

-Newell's Old Boys, a club where Messi played in the youth team and of which he is a fan:

"Thank you, Leo," he wrote in a message on social media along with a photo of Messi kissing the World Cup won in Qatar.

Family and others

-Antonela Roccuzzo, wife:

"How proud to have been by your side on this path and to see you fulfill all your dreams. You deserved this story and much more. We love you infinitely."

-Javier Milei, president of Argentina:

"Thank you very much, impossible man."

-Franco Colapinto, Argentine F1 driver:

"There are no words of gratitude that will ever be enough... We are lucky to have had you and enjoyed you for so long. Thank you for having stood up again and again and given everything to make an entire country happy. You are the example for everyone."

-Eduardo Sacheri, Argentine writer:

"What do you say to someone who is leaving, after having given you talent, joy, sacrifice, camaraderie, dedication and humility for a lot of years? Thank you, Messi. Thank you for what went well, thank you for what went wrong, thank you for being there, thank you for coming back. Thank you, skinny. Thank you for everything."

© 2026 AFP

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