Messi Already Misses Playing for Argentina After Monumental Farewell

Lionel Messi needed less than 24 hours away from the Argentina shirt to feel its absence, posting an emotional message admitting he already misses the Albiceleste one day after his 3-0 farewell win over Benin.

Messi's first words after the farewell

Just one day after walking off the Estadio Monumental pitch for the final time in an Argentina shirt, Lionel Messi reached for his phone and wrote the words millions of fans had been dreading. In a lengthy Instagram post published on Wednesday, the 39-year-old admitted that retirement was already hurting: "Yesterday was my last game, and I already miss wearing the blue and white. I know I'm making the right decision," he wrote.

His farewell against Benin on 6 October 2026 could hardly have been scripted better. Argentina won 3-0 in front of more than 85,000 supporters, and Messi signed off with a goal and two assists in his 208th and final international appearance. His strike took his national-record tally to 126 goals, a fitting final flourish for a 21-year international career that included the 2022 World Cup, the Copa América titles of 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 Finalissima.

Yet the emotional goodbye offered on the pitch was only the beginning. Writing after the match, Messi revealed that the farewell speech he delivered at the Monumental — frequently interrupted by tears — had not allowed him to express everything he wanted to say. The Instagram message became the extension of that speech, the final written page of his Argentina career.

'An incredible journey, full of joy and also some sadness'

Central to the post was Messi's reflection on a career arc that few footballers have ever experienced. "It's been an incredible journey, full of joy and also some sadness, but I know for sure that every step I took was worth it," he wrote, acknowledging the criticism, the near misses and the painful final defeats that preceded Argentina's glorious recent run.

For a decade and a half, Messi carried the weight of a nation's expectations without the international trophy to match. Fans who once questioned his commitment watched him lose the 2014 World Cup final, the 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals, and briefly retire in 2016 before returning. Everything changed in Rio de Janeiro in 2021, and the journey reached its peak in Doha in 2022. Messi's message made clear that the hard years belonged to the story too.

His family occupied a central place in the reflection. Messi thanked those closest to him for supporting him throughout the international journey, particularly during the most difficult moments of his career — words carrying added emotional weight given the recent death of his father Jorge, whom he had already remembered during the Monumental farewell.

A special place for Maradona

One of the most significant passages was dedicated to Diego Maradona. Messi made sure to remember the Argentine legend, emphasizing the role Maradona played in putting the country where it deserved to be in world football and expressing his belief that Diego continued helping the national team "from heaven." Reuters reported his words: "I don't want to forget Diego (Maradona), who put our country where it deserved to be and who, as I always say, I know helped us both by being here with us and also from heaven, with every step we took."

That passage connected Argentina's two most iconic No. 10s at the exact moment Messi closed his own chapter with the Albiceleste. No two figures in Argentine football are more discussed, more compared, or more beloved, and Messi's deliberate choice to place Maradona in the farewell letter read as the passing of a symbolic torch — even as he admitted the separation already hurt.

Messi also thanked every teammate and coach who accompanied him during his 21 years, as well as the clubs that allowed him to prioritize Argentina whenever national-team duty called. "Thank you to the clubs where I played, for always respecting my feelings and allowing me to dedicate myself to my country whenever it was time to put on the national team jersey," he wrote.

Ronaldo sets rivalry aside for heartfelt tribute

Among those responding to the post was the one man whose career has been most intertwined with Messi's. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo set aside one of football's great rivalries on Wednesday to pay tribute, writing: "Leo, after so many years of defending your country, you've made history that will last forever. I have the utmost respect for what you've accomplished with Argentina. A hug."

The gesture carried particular weight given the timing. Ronaldo, at 41, remains embroiled in a dispute with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus following his abrupt departure from the national team's training camp — his own international future now the subject of intense debate. Yet even amid his own uncertain situation, the Portuguese forward found the words to honor the end of Messi's 21-year journey in blue and white.

Tributes poured in from across the football world as the farewell reverberated far beyond Buenos Aires. Teammates, opponents and former coaches joined fans in reacting to the retirement of the man who led Argentina to three major trophies in four years and made the shirt his own.

No regrets, no comeback door

Perhaps the most revealing element of Messi's message was his certainty. Despite immediately missing the national team, he did not leave the door open for another appearance. Instead, his words reinforced what he had communicated at the Monumental: after 208 international appearances and more than two decades carrying Argentina's expectations, he believes this is the correct moment to walk away.

"I am grateful. I love you all very much; I'm going to miss you, and I will always thank you for having been by our side, by my side," he added, closing with thanks to God and the supporters who accompanied him through every stage of the journey.

His message struck a balance between grief and peace. Messi finished by admitting that separation hurt while leaving no doubt that he departs comfortable with the decision and permanently grateful for what the national team gave him. For Argentina fans, those words will sting — but they also carry the reassurance of a farewell delivered on the captain's own terms.

What comes next for Messi

Messi now returns his full focus to club football with Inter Miami, where he remains under contract. Argentina's next chapter begins without him: Lionel Scaloni's side played their first friendly of the post-Messi era days later, and the World Cup 2026 defeat to Spain in the final — just months before the farewell — remains the bittersweet coda to his generation's story.

The farewell, however, refuses to end quietly. Within a day, the emotional hangover was already producing tributes, debates and questions about what Argentina becomes next. For the Albiceleste faithful, one line from the captain's post said it all: he already misses wearing the blue and white, and no one who watched him wear it will ever forget what that looked like.

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