“It’s hard to realize that it’s the last match”: the Argentinians’ tribute to Lionel Messi on his farewell to the national team

Leo Messi in the Argentina team, it's over. Twenty-one years after his first match with the national team, the immense star donned the sky and white jersey for the 208th and last time, on the night of October 6 to 7 and scored his 126th goal for the selection, a record. The one who received eight Ballons d'Or, won a World Cup, an Olympic gold medal and two Copas America, was celebrated by 85,000 moved and nostalgic fans.

For Alejandro, who came from Rosario, Messi's hometown, it was a "terrible" day, "lots of sensations, emotions, memories". At Agustina too, it is sadness that dominates: “It’s hard to realize that it’s the last match,” confides the one who made a long journey from Patagonia for the occasion. “For me, it’s my whole life. I don’t know football without him.”

“I will miss you”

At the end of the match, Lionel Messi, very moved, addressed the public: "It has been an immense pride to wear this jersey for more than 20 years. I have never stopped fighting, fighting. To no longer play for my country, it will be a great pain." At the microphone, in the middle of the stadium, Lionel Messi, usually so reserved, appeared at ease and even talkative. "I think I've never spoken so much. I don't want to leave the field! I just want to tell you that I'm going to miss you. I thank God for being Argentinian and for having accomplished my dreams with you. Thank you very much, I love you!"

If he is today the idol of the Argentines, the player did not have an easy youth. Like Diego Maradona, he comes from a very modest background. He grew up in Rosario, a working-class town located 300 kilometers from the capital. His father was a worker, his mother did housework. He had severe growth delays, and without hormonal treatment, he would not have been more than five feet tall. Introverted and close to his family, he was only 13 years old when he had to leave his country for Barcelona, ​​where he would be trained and become the legend we know.

A national treasure

Lionel Messi owes his immense popularity in Argentina in part to this career, but also to his rather discreet personality, very different from that of the extravagant Maradona. His attachment to his family is very popular in the country. In a tribute video posted online by the Argentine Football Federation, we hear "You made us better grandchildren", a reference to the sign he gave to his grandmother every time he scored a goal.

Messi has therefore become a true national treasure, well beyond football. The President of the Republic himself recalled this when he announced his first international retirement, before reversing his decision. If he had to reestablish a link with his country upon his return from Barcelona, ​​he who had retained the Spanish accent, today he is a marker of Argentinian identity, an immense source of national pride.