An ode to Lionel Messi

We all saw this coming. We all knew that this was an eventuality from the moment Spain lifted that World Cup trophy. We had all the time in the world to prepare for it, to make our peace with it, and to prepare ourselves for a footballing life without him. 

Yet, when Lionel Messi announced his inevitable retirement from International football, our hearts sank in collective grief. Messi has been such a crucial and integral part of almost every single fan who has watched football. For the millennials, he was the reason everyone stayed glued to the screen to watch the game. For the younger generation, he was a magician that had everyone in awe. And with one announcement, he made the world just that bit sadder.

From making three World Cup Finals in six editions, carrying Argentina on his diminutive shoulders time and time again, Messi never shirked from his responsibility of being the talisman for his nation. Ever since he came back from his first international retirement in 2016, he took Argentina to a whole new level. Copa America victories, the World Cup in 2022, and the recent god-like performances at the 2026 World Cup: he did it all by his lonesome.

Watching Messi glide on the field with the ball is simplistic, yet there is an artistry to it. You know he is there, yet the defender cannot touch him, let alone take the ball away from him. Now you see him, now you don’t. Every single time, whenever a defender feels that he has kept Messi quiet, he is suddenly reminded why the little boy from Rosario is the living phenomenon he is. Jerome Boateng, Nemanja Vidic, Raphaël Varane, Joško Gvardiol. These are just a few names who have fallen victim to Messi’s magic and trickery.

Even Father Time could not slow Messi down, and that is something that can be said for very few athletes. Anyone who had the opinion that Messi would not be the same force of old at the 2026 World Cup was forced to eat their words in spectacular fashion.

From scoring a hat-trick against Algeria to single-handedly carrying his side through physically and emotionally gruelling games against Cabo Verde, Egypt, and England, Messi did it all. This was also the World Cup where we saw a more vulnerable, emotionally charged Messi. The tears flowed more freely. The emotions were on show frequently. We did not know it then, but we know now why.

The loss of his father, Jorge, was arguably the final straw for Leo. We knew that his father was suffering from illness during the World Cup. But losing him more or less sealed his decision for good. “All I did was play football. And now I have serious doubts that I’ll do it for much longer,” he said after his father’s passing.

With Messi retired from the international stage, it is only a matter of time before he hangs up his boots for good. So for those who can, watch him. Watch him weave his magic live if you have the means to. Watch him glide on the pitch like the true magician he is. Because we are surely in the endgame of Lionel Messi’s footballing career.

While he remains active at Inter Miami, Messi will no longer grace that Argentina shirt. That No. 10 jersey strutting on the pitch in the iconic blue and white will no longer happen. And football has just become a bit more poor for it.

Happy retirement, Leo. Even though it is not so happy for us.