Argentina says goodbye to Messi in the last

Argentina says goodbye to Messi in the last one

According to Sports.

Background

Lionel Messi, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has left a lasting impression not only in Argentina but around the world. His journey from Rosario to global icon shows the impact he has had on generations of players and fans. His farewell game also opens the discussion about his possible return to the national team or a farewell game in the future.

Why this is important

With his 21 years in the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi shaped an era that was crowned with 125 goals, two Copa America titles and a World Cup title. His departure not only marks the end of a personal career, but also a turning point for Argentine football, which now has to reorient itself without its biggest star. Emotions are running high as fans in Argentina mourn the loss of one of their greatest sporting heroes.

Key findings

• Argentina says goodbye to Messi in the last one.
• Lionel Messi says goodbye to the Argentine national team after an illustrious career.
• Argentina bids Messi farewell in final national team match, ending an era - Yahoo Sports.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina faces the once unimaginable prospect of seeing a national team without soccer great Lionel Messi. On Tuesday, the 39-year-old Messi will bid farewell to the international stage after 21 years in which he scored 125 goals, won two Copa America titles and won the World Cup. What would otherwise have been an insignificant friendly against the West African country of Benin has turned into a moment long feared by this football-mad country. "It feels like an era is ending because I know he won't play for the national team anymore," said Valentino Ruso, 17, while on his way to watch the game with a friend in Buenos Aires. "I'm sad. I think everyone is sad today. He'll be missed." The Argentines had an intense, often unforgiving relationship with the shy boy, who left his hometown of Rosario at 13 to play in Spanish club Barcelona's youth academy. As he rose to global icon status, his compatriots revered and criticized him, doubting his commitment and accusing him of being indifferent to his own country. But as he prepares to say goodbye to the national team, his devotion to Argentina is no longer in question. Nor Argentina's devotion to its most famous Export, whose triumphs served as reminders of national greatness during years of political and economic instability. "Argentinians often say, 'Thank God I was born in a time when I could experience the miracle of seeing Messi play,'" said Andrés Rabinovich, a University of Chicago scholar who has studied the role of soccer in Argentine culture. "It's hard living in Argentina. Football is often one of the few things that gives you some relief, some joy." For years, Argentines had debated when and how Messi should leave the international stage. His announcement on August 31 that he was retiring from the national team, a few weeks after Argentina's loss to Spain in the World Cup final, led to an outpouring of gratitude and sadness, even as he continues to enrich Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. "I don't know if there has ever been a love story between a player and a nation as big as the one you built," his teammate Rodrigo De Paul wrote on Instagram. Argentina's soccer federation turned Tuesday's game - Messi's 208th - into a national farewell billed as "the last tango." More than 85,000 tickets for the largest stadium in Buenos Aires sold out in 90 minutes and were later offered on resale sites for over $2,500. Argentinian players World champion teams from 1978, 1986 and 2022 and their families took part in the honor. Accompanied by his three sons, Messi entered the field under fireworks, his eyes shining. Chants of "ME-SSI! ME-SSI!" rolled through the stands as fans bowed to him. A giant replica of his number 10 jersey was unfurled across the pitch with a simple message: "Gracias." In the 2000s and 2010s, Messi collected trophies with his club and won passionate fans from Barcelona to Bangladesh. But he was denied a major championship for his own country. Where the world saw a preternatural talent, some at home saw an underdog who had never played professionally in Argentina and seemed to collapse under the weight of their expectations. Argentine spectators chanted "Diego, Diego" and invoked Diego Maradona, the larger-than-life hero of Argentina's 1986 World Cup victory - and reminded Messi of the standard he had yet to reach. Messi's quiet reserve, so at odds with Maradona's defiant self-confidence, fueled doubts about his patriotism. After the third consecutive defeat in the 2016 final, Messi briefly retired from the national team. "There's a certain resentment among the people who stay in Argentina towards those who leave, this feeling of, 'They think they're better than us,'" Rabinovich said, adding that he feels m It identifies Messi because he, too, emigrated to Canada as a teenager during Argentina's economic crisis of 2001, around the time Messi went to Europe. "The old Argentines would say: 'Diego is the Argentine. Messi is soft, a bit of a Spanish boy.'" The turning point came in 2021, when Argentina beat Brazil and won the Copa América, South America's championship, after 28 years. Messi collapsed as his teammates, delirious, ran to hug him. The player, long considered cold-hearted, couldn't stop crying. "The victory clearly disarmed his critics. That's how football works in Argentina," said Diego Murzi, a sports sociologist at Conicet, Argentina's national scientific research council. "Criticism about things off the field goes hand in hand with defeats on the field." The World Cup victory the following year in Qatar secured his place as a national hero. Messi had delivered the one prize that had so far eluded him, and millions of Argentines poured into the streets cheering, his name in their chants and the number 10 on their backs. "I'll never forget it. I've never experienced anything like this, being outside with everyone, celebrating together," said Antonia Correa, 70, a kiosk owner who was waiting for a bus in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. "We saw that he was not only an exceptional player, but also an excellent player nsh." In recent weeks, newspapers have been abuzz with nostalgic tributes, and murals celebrating Messi have sprung up across Argentina. La Nación, a leading Argentine daily, published "Immortal," a documentary chronicling his final World Cup run, and released a 196-page special edition about his career. The iconic obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires glowed sky blue and white on Tuesday, the colors of the National flag. And in Patagonia, a 26-meter (85-foot), 70-ton statue of Messi kneeling with the World Cup trophy has towered over passing motorists all over Argentina since June. Fans who grew up watching their parents wear him on their skin, in tattoos showing him kissing the World Cup trophy. It was easy to believe that the best player in the world would always be one of them Even Messi's number 10 jersey has no designated successor, with coach Lionel Scaloni saying the decision will wait until after his final game. "I don't think we will ever have someone like him again, someone with that kind of lasting power," said Pablo Brescia, a professor at the University of South Florida who writes about Argentine culture and soccer. "Like Maradona, he will be unique - a figure that cannot be repeated ur 2028 season. But the charged rite of watching him carry Argentina's hopes and fears into every game is coming to an end. "When you saw Messi play, you had the feeling that anything could happen," Murzi said. "I've seen him do things that I don't think I'll ever see another player do."

What happens next

After Messi's farewell game against Benin, the Argentine national team will be faced with the challenge of finding a new identity. Coaches and players must adapt to operating without Messi's leadership and influence. The upcoming games will be crucial in shaping the team's future and potentially developing new talent to follow in his footsteps.

Frequently asked questions

What happens to Lionel Messi on Tuesday?

On Tuesday, Lionel Messi will say goodbye to the international stage after 21 years.

Who confirmed Messi's farewell game?

Confirmation of Messi's farewell game came from Argentina, where the game against Benin is taking place.

Why is the farewell game taking place now?

The farewell game takes place now, as Messi ends his career in the national team at the age of 39.

What changes will Messi's departure bring to the Argentine national team?

Messi's departure marks the end of an era for the Argentine international hood that has to carry on without its biggest star.

How do the fans react to Messi's departure?

Fans express sadness at Messi's departure as they considered him an important part of the national team.

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