He really needed one last evening to match Lionel Messi. But for a player of this size, it never seems enough. This Tuesday evening, at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, the Argentine legend played his last match with the Albiceleste against Benin (3-0). At 39 years old, after 21 years and 208 caps, the eight-time Ballon d’Or has closed one of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of football. For his last, the child from Rosario offered himself a goal, two assists, a standing stadium and the tears of an entire country. An image that is difficult to believe: Messi has, for good, left the selection.
He leaves her after having already experienced everything with her: the lost finals, the criticism, the announcement of an international retirement in 2016, then the Copa América, a Finalissima (match between winners of the Euro and Copa, 2022) then the 2022 World Cup. Argentina had even extended the dream further until this last World Cup, concluded in the final against Spain. This time, there will be no new trophy, but really who cares, as long as we can see Messi play. But the main thing remains: the Argentine striker leaves the Albiceleste still a world champion and as its most emblematic player. In Argentina, the press tells the end of an intimate story with its hero. Abroad, it celebrates the definitive entry of the 2022 world champion into football history.
“A footprint forever” in Argentina
The Argentine press was most upset by this latest appearance of the “Argentinian genius”. Clarin sums up the evening with a title that speaks for itself: “Lionel Messi, an imprint forever”. The daily writes that the Inter Miami striker “crossed our lives” for twenty years and that nearly 90,000 people had “the chance to come and kiss him” at the Monumental. “Messi thought he was thanking the Argentinians, but “it’s a whole country that says thank you to him”
At Olé, we find something more personal. The daily reminds that several generations of Argentines have only known one selection with Messi. The “Meeeessiiii” of the Monumental thus becomes the sound of a childhood that is ending. The newspaper also returns to little Leo, his grandmother and his first steps in football, as if to remind us that behind the immense player we always find “the little boy from Rosario”.
La Nación, for its part, chooses the register of eternity. His account presents Messi as “the legend of the impossible man” and considers that no match, no tribute and no speech can truly measure his place in football history. A way of definitively sealing, in part of the Argentine press, the debate on his status as the best player of all time. Finally, TyC Sports summarizes his tribute in three words: “Gracias, profesor”. A short formula which perhaps sums up better than all the others the relationship between Messi and the selection: that of a master who now passes on the number 10 jersey to a new generation.
In Spain, it’s the end of a work
Obviously, Spain watched this evening closely and above all with particular emotion. It was there, in the FC Barcelona jersey, that the number 10 built his legend. El Pais tells the story of the “legend” who leaves his selection after 21 years, six World Cups played and the titles that have long eluded him: the Copa América and especially the 2022 World Cup. The newspaper particularly highlights the strong transformation of a player long criticized with Argentina into a now indisputable figure in its history.
The AS newspaper, for its part, chose a title that sums up Spanish sentiment: “Unforgettable Messi”. The daily sees his departure as the end of an era and places his legacy alongside the great figures of Argentine popular culture.
In Italy, “Leo’s last tango”
La Gazzetta dello Sport sums up the evening with a formula: “L’ultimo tango di Leo”. The Italian daily describes Messi as “emotional” for his last with Argentina, but still capable of making the difference: “a goal and two assists” for a 3-0 victory against Benin. The Italian daily recalls the figures which accompany his departure: “208 appearances and 126 goals”, two records for the Argentine selection. The newspaper also emphasizes the atmosphere at the Monumental, evoking an evening of “tears” and “emotions”, before returning to Messi’s speech: “I leave in peace, I gave everything”.
In England, “Messi finished football”
The Guardian chooses an even stronger formula before the farewell: “Lionel Messi has completed football”. For the British daily, the Argentinian can leave “with pride”, after having won everything that could still be missing from his list of achievements with his selection. The newspaper recalls, all the same, the years of frustration, the lost finals and the international retirement announced in 2016, before highlighting the turnaround in history: the Copa América 2021, the Finalissima, then the 2022 World Cup. “There is nothing left to prove”, summarizes the Guardian in substance.
After the match, the daily returns to an evening where “85,000 people” came to greet number 10. It describes a Messi in tears, surrounded by his teammates, after “one last masterclass” with Argentina. And above all, the newspaper no longer seems to consider Messi's status as an open question: it presents him as "widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time".
