“Messi leaves behind something unequalled,” Scaloni shared. “We have to keep playing, but the feeling of having him on the pitch is unique. I’ve never seen anyone else convey what he does on a football field, and that is what we’re going to miss.”
Lionel Messi delivered one last master class in blue and white on Tuesday as Argentina’s captain brought the curtain down on his 21-year international career by scoring one goal and setting up two others in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin.
The 39-year-old’s final bow in front of more than 85,000 fans at a packed Monumental stadium was a national celebration of Messi’s service to the national team.
“It’s hard to talk,” said Messi, whose family watched proudly from the stands alongside some of Argentina’s World Cup winners of 1978, 1986 and 2022.
“There are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head. The first thing I think about is my old man,” he added, referring to the recent death of his father.
“It was a huge source of pride for me to wear this shirt all this time, more than 20 years.
“Not coming anymore is going to hurt a lot. I swear, I’d love to keep coming my whole life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”
‘GRACIAS’
Hours earlier, a massive No. 10 shirt emblazoned with “Gracias” was unfurled at the National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Messi’s hometown.
Messi wiped away tears as the team bus travelled from the training centre bearing his name.
Source: The Star
