By Leila Miller and Horacio Fernando Soria
BUENOS AIRES, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Argentines saluted Lionel Messi on Monday after the soccer great confirmed the news many had long expected but still found painful: his retirement from the national team.
“It’s going to be difficult but I’m super grateful for all the joy he gave us, as a country,” said Francisca Mieth, an 18-year-old university student, in Buenos Aires’ leafy Belgrano neighborhood.
Nearby, dog walker Jose Aramburu said Messi’s refusal to give up had left a lasting mark on Argentina.
“The most important thing that Messi gave us was the fact that he insisted, persisted and pursued a dream, a goal, an objective, without caring about what other people said,” the 36-year-old said.
Messi, 39, who captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022 and another 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 World Cup, appearing on billboards across downtown Buenos Aires and towering over a Patagonian town in the form of an 85-foot statue.
Locals there watched Argentina play England on a screen erected beside the statue’s giant knees.
As Messi broke records with his scoring streak during the 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 website of Argentine newspaper La Nacion.
A psychologist interviewed on local television channel TN cautioned against expecting another player to fill the void, saying “no one should be burdened with the weight of being his replacement.”
Meanwhile, praise poured in on social media from Messi’s former teammates, including Angel Di Maria, who retired from international football in 2024.
“We’re going to be grateful to you for our entire lives for being Argentine,” he wrote.
(Reporting by Leila Miller and Horacio Fernando Soria in Buenos Aires. Editing by Lucinda Elliott and Toby Davis)
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