Open letter to Lionel Messi: No. 10 may have said goodbye, but your Argentina legacy lives forever

I had a strong feeling after the 2026 World Cup final on July 20 that it would be your last match in an Argentina jersey. Yet when your retirement announcement appeared on Instagram last evening, it was still difficult to process. We always knew this day would come, but knowing it and actually seeing you say goodbye were two very different things.

There was, however, a strange sense of acceptance too. Perhaps it came from everything we were fortunate enough to witness during the final years of your career. After the heartbreak of World Cup finals, Copa America defeats and the agonising wait for your first major international trophy, those final few years became an extraordinary goldmine of memories.

When the Copa America finally arrived in 2021, something changed. For Argentines and Messi fans around the world, the burden of all those near-misses suddenly disappeared. The trophies that had eluded you for so long began to arrive one after another. And when you finally lifted the World Cup in 2022, your story felt complete in a way many of us had once feared it never would.

For two decades, millennials and Gen Z fans have followed Argentina largely because of you. An earlier generation grew up watching Diego Maradona’s magic. Then you stepped onto the field and brought that magic back — perhaps with even greater finesse, consistency and discipline.

The 2022 World Cup triumph left you and millions of your fans in tears. I even had that iconic image of you kissing the World Cup trophy tattooed on my skin. It represented something far bigger than a football victory. It was the fulfilment of a dream for millions who simply wanted their idol to experience the one moment that had escaped him for so long.

There was also a fear that you might walk away immediately after achieving that dream. Thankfully, the football world was given four more years of Messi in an Argentina jersey.

Your departure from Barcelona under such difficult circumstances was already painful, and seeing you in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt never quite felt right to me. When you moved to MLS, the connection with club football faded for many Asian fans. What we really wanted was to see you in those blue and white colours. After everything you had endured with Argentina, watching you represent the national team had become something we cherished.

The 2022 World Cup was the ultimate reward. Argentina had arguably one of its best opportunities to win the title, with a squad capable of going all the way. Then came the shock defeat to Saudi Arabia, bringing back memories of every disappointment that had come before.

But this Argentina team refused to repeat history.

They recovered, fought through the tournament and produced a World Cup campaign that will be remembered forever. You lifted the trophy, and with it, the enormous weight that had followed you for years finally disappeared.

And then came one final chapter.

At the beginning of the 2026 World Cup, few expected a 39-year-old Messi to produce the kind of tournament we had become accustomed to seeing from you. Instead, we witnessed perhaps an even more ruthless version. Eight goals and four assists at that age was extraordinary.

But then, there is a reason they call you the GOAT.

The final did not end the way we wanted. Yet even in defeat, there was a sense of acceptance that Argentina had simply lost to the better side on the day. The 2026 World Cup gave us another rollercoaster of emotions, and watching you lead Argentina through it was a privilege in itself.

Away from football, however, you were facing something far more painful. Your father’s health deteriorated during the tournament, and his passing made the possibility of stepping away from international football even more real.

It must have been an unimaginably difficult period, both personally and professionally. Perhaps there was never going to be an easy moment to make such a decision. But after everything you had given Argentina, choosing yourself and your family finally felt right.

In an era of increasingly aggressive sporting personalities, you were defined largely by your humility. Yes, there were moments when you lost your temper. But those moments only reminded us that behind the genius was a human being.

There was also an integrity in the way you played. You never needed endless theatrics to dominate a game — no unnecessary dives to win penalties, no constant pleading for fouls, no need to manufacture controversy.

You simply played football.

And somehow, you still managed to own the pitch like very few before you ever could.

The GOAT debate is over

The GOAT debate may have remained open for some for years, but by the end of your career, it feels almost impossible to argue anymore.

The numbers are staggering. The trophies speak for themselves. But more than statistics and medals, it is the memories that settle the debate — the goals, the celebrations, the tears, the comebacks and the nights when you made the impossible look routine.

How do you say goodbye to someone who has been part of your life for as long as you can remember?

For more than two decades, you were there in that Argentina jersey — through the heartbreak, criticism, tears, impossible defeats and, eventually, the greatest celebrations.

We grew up watching you. We believed in you. At times, we hurt with you.

Then came the trophies.

The Copa America.

The World Cup.

And finally, the feeling that perhaps your story with Argentina could not have had a better ending.

No. 10 may have said goodbye.

But Leo, your story with Argentina will never end.

It is immortal.