Argentina fans on the beach with a drum showing Lionel Messi. File picture
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Argentines saluted Lionel Messi on Monday (August 31, 2026) after the soccer βgreat confirmed the news many had long expected but still found βpainful: his retirement from the national team.
βItβs going βto be difficult, but Iβm super grateful β for all the joy he gave us, as a country,β said Francisca Mieth, an 18-year-old university student, in Buenos Aires’ leafy Belgrano βneighbourhood.
Nearby, dog walker Jose Aramburu said Messiβs refusal to give up had left a lasting mark βon Argentina.
βThe most important thing that Messi gave βus β was the fact that he insisted, persisted and β pursued a dream, a goal, an objective, without caring about what other people said,β the 36-year-old said.
Messi, 39, who captained Argentina to World Cup βglory in 2022 and βanother final in 2026, announced his international retirement on Instagram on Monday, describing it as “a decision that hurts the soul.”
His image had been inescapable during this year’s βWorld Cup, appearing on billboards across downtown Buenos Aires βand towering over a Patagonian town in the form of an 85-foot statue.
Locals there watched β Argentina play England on a screen erected beside the statue’s giant knees.
As Messi broke records with his scoring streak during βthe tournament, Argentines took to the streets to sing “Happy Birthday” when he turned 39 in June.
Messi said that the death of his father in August after a long illness had cemented his decision to end his international career.
“The end of an era,” read a headline on the βwebsite of Argentine newspaper La Nacion.
A psychologist interviewed on local television βchannel TN cautioned against expecting another player to fill the void, saying “no one should be burdened β with the weight of being his replacement.”
Meanwhile, praise poured in on β social media from Messi’s former teammates, including Angel Di Maria, who retired from international football in β2024.
“We’re going to be grateful to you for our entire lives for being Argentine,” he wrote.
Published – September 01, 2026 01:39 am IST