One goal, two assists and the final farewell in front of over 80 thousand spectators at the Monumental. Lionel Messi ends his adventure with the Argentine national team in the 3-0 win over Benin and says goodbye “the saddest day of my career”.
“It was a huge source of pride to defend this shirt for more than twenty years”says the 39-year-old champion, who returned to the pitch after the match to thank the fans and teammates. “Even in the worst moments that we went through and that I experienced, I never stopped fighting, I never stopped being there. Not coming anymore will be deeply painful. I swear that I would like to play for my whole life, because playing for the Argentine national team is the best thing that can happen to you”.
The return to the Monumental, where Argentina played their first match after their triumph at the 2022 World Cup, has a bittersweet taste. “Now I’m here on the saddest day of my career, the one in which I have to say goodbye to the national team, goodbye to all of you. But now I’ll be on that side, with the fans, to support all the boys, all those who arrive. Always united”adds Messi.
The reasons for the farewell: the hardships of the World Cup, the final with Spain and the mourning for his father
Despite the pain, the captain believes that it is the right time to close, after the physical and emotional hardships of the last World Cup, which ended with defeat in the final against Spain. In August there was also mourning for the death of his father and agent Jorge.
“Even though I would like to stay here for my whole life, I feel that this is the moment. The last World Cup was too much for everything I had to experience”explains. “We had the dream of making my wish and that of the whole country come true: to become world champions again”.
Messi remembers in particular the weight of the 2-1 semi-final win against England: “The match tested us a lot physically and was very emotionally intense. We arrived with just enough energy, we fought as we always have in this shirt. We came very close”.
Scaloni’s tears: “I have never seen anyone like him, I owe him eternal gratitude”
The technical commissioner was also moved Lionel Scaloniin tears during the national anthem. “He’s unique. I’ve never seen a similar set of qualities in any other player in my entire life”declares the coach who guided Argentina to the 2022 world title and who shared a year as a teammate in the national team with Messi.
“I owe him eternal gratitude for everything he has given us. I told him in front of everyone, with the little energy I had left: never in my life would I have imagined coaching the best footballer in history”. Messi leaves “an incredible legacy”adds Scaloni, now called to build the future without him: “The only way to compensate for his departure is to have a great team, where everyone contributes to building it”.