Ronaldo Pays Tribute to Messi After Argentina Farewell

Cristiano Ronaldo set one of football's defining rivalries aside on Wednesday, leaving an emotional message of respect under Lionel Messi's Instagram farewell after the Argentine's final international match against Benin.

Ronaldo's message to Messi

Hours after Lionel Messi published a lengthy farewell post reflecting on his 21 years in the Argentina shirt, one comment stood out from the thousands that flooded in. Cristiano Ronaldo, his great rival for nearly two decades, replied directly underneath it.

"Leo, so many years defending your country and a history that will last forever," Ronaldo wrote. "All my respect for what you have achieved with Argentina. A hug."

The message, posted on Wednesday, was short and carried no mention of trophies, records or the endless debate over which of the two stands as the greater player. It was simply one all-time great acknowledging another, and it landed with supporters who have watched the pair define an entire era of the sport.

The Portugal captain's reply came the day after Messi closed his international career on Tuesday night at the Estadio Monumental, where Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in a friendly built entirely around saying goodbye to their captain.

The farewell night that prompted it

Messi, 39, bowed out in style in front of more than 85,000 supporters in Buenos Aires. He converted a penalty and set up Argentina's other two goals, meaning he had a direct hand in all three of the night's strikes as La Albiceleste swept Benin aside.

The penalty was Messi's 126th goal in his 208th and final appearance for Argentina, closing a remarkable international account that began more than two decades ago. The evening featured an on-pitch speech, fireworks and a series of emotional displays inside the Monumental, where the home crowd treated the match as a celebration rather than a contest.

Messi had announced his retirement from international football on August 31, following Argentina's run to the 2026 World Cup final. The decision came just weeks after the death of his father and agent, Jorge Messi, a loss that shaped the timing of his goodbye to the national team.

Ronaldinho and Neymar join the tributes

Ronaldo was far from alone. Brazil legends Ronaldinho and Neymar were among the many to pay tribute after Messi's last game in the sky blue and white.

Ronaldinho, the 2002 World Cup winner who played alongside a teenage Messi at Barcelona between 2003 and 2008, wrote on X that being part of Messi's story since the start had been a pleasure and a joy. He said Messi's name is etched in the history of Argentina and the entire world, and wished him well, noting he understood how family considerations can make a player rethink his future.

Neymar, Messi's former teammate at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, wrote that those who love football had cherished watching the Argentine for years, and that on the night of his final match for his country, he hoped Messi would savour every second of the tributes. He thanked Messi for making him love football even more, calling it an honour to have played against him and a greater one to have made history alongside him.

Luis Suarez, Messi's close friend and Inter Miami teammate, had already released a video message before the Benin friendly, hoping the Uruguay striker's compatriot would enjoy a glorious night in a jersey that had been so important to his career, and telling him he should feel proud of everything he achieved for his country.

A rivalry that became mutual respect

Ronaldo and Messi spent the best part of 15 years at the centre of the sport's fiercest modern debate, trading La Liga titles, Champions League finals and Ballon d'Or trophies during their nine-season head-to-head battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Their international careers carried a parallel weight: Ronaldo captaining Portugal, Messi leading Argentina, each shouldering the expectations of an entire nation across six World Cups apiece. The arguments over who stands as the greatest of their generation will outlive both men's playing days, but the public tone between them has long been one of respect.

Ronaldo's message under Messi's farewell post follows that pattern — and its timing gives it extra weight. It arrived not after a victory over his rival, but at the moment Messi's international journey ended, when there was nothing left to compete for.

Messi's farewell in his own words

In his own Instagram post the day after the Benin match, Messi admitted the finality of the decision had already hit him. "Yesterday was my last game, and I already miss wearing the blue and white," he wrote. "I know I'm making the right decision."

He described an incredible journey full of joy and some sadness, and said every step had been worth it. He paid tribute to Diego Maradona, saying the late legend put Argentina where it deserved to be and had helped both generations, from heaven as well as on the pitch.

Messi also thanked the clubs that had allowed him to dedicate himself to Argentina whenever the national team called, and signed off by telling supporters he loved them, that he would miss them, and that he would always thank them for having stood by him.

The captain leaves as Argentina's most decorated and iconic player: a World Cup winner in 2022, a finalist in 2026, a two-time Copa America champion in 2021 and 2024, and the winner of the 2022 Finalissima.

Argentine football says thank you

The tributes were not limited to players. Argentina's biggest clubs lined up to honour their greatest son after Tuesday's game:

• Boca Juniors wrote "Thank you always, captain"
• Independiente posted "A beautiful love story, thank you, truly"
• San Lorenzo thanked him for the football, the love of the jersey, the joy and for always trying again
• Barcelona, where his journey began, congratulated him from the gold medal at Beijing 2008 through an unforgettable career with La Albiceleste

Two decades after a quiet teenager from Rosario first pulled on the senior shirt, the whole of Argentine football stopped to say goodbye — and even the fiercest rivalry in the sport paused to join in.

What comes next

Messi's international chapter is now closed, but his club career continues with Inter Miami, where he remains the face of the MLS franchise. Ronaldo, 41, continues to captain Portugal and will shape his own international farewell in his own time.

The pair may still cross paths at club level or in future testimonial settings, and the Ronaldo-Messi debate will rage on in every bar and schoolyard. But after Wednesday's message, the record shows how it ended between the two men themselves: with nothing but respect.

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