Lionel Messi Was Argentina's Greatest. I Was Never A Fan. Until I Was

I never liked Lionel Messi. It’s hard to explain. Maybe it was my allegiance to Manchester United. Or perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been a divisive figure in his own space. My pristine collection of football jerseys – from the German national team to the colours of the Azzuri – never had space for the blue and white of Argentina. Let alone Messi. It was just a football thing.  

But now it ends. A goodbye from the greatest of all time. Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on 31 August, aged 39, after leading Argentina to this summer's World Cup final. A hurdle that was just too far to cross. Spain triumphed. Messi lost a final once again.

Messi leaves as Argentina’s most-capped and highest-scoring player. 125 goals in 207 appearances. No active Albiceleste player comes close to him. But more than that, he departs as a legend, a monument that will be second to none.

Rummage your memory and you might remember that Messi considered retiring from international duty once before as well. It was 2016. Ten years ago, Messi announced that he was done with the national team. Four finals. Four losses. The 2014 World Cup final, the Copa America finals of 2007, 2015 and 2016. “I tried my hardest. It’s been four finals, and I was not able to win. I tried everything possible. It hurts me more than anyone, but it is evident that this is not for me. I want more than anyone to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately, it did not happen,” Messi, then 29, told reporters back then.

Just weeks ago, Diego Maradona – the man Messi was anointed as the spiritual successor to -- had delivered a scathing assessment of his impact on the field. “He’s a really good person, but he has no personality,” Maradona said. “He lacks the character to be a leader.”

But the decade that followed proved Maradona and many other doubters wrong. A nationwide campaign before the 2018 World Cup, which included then president of Argentina Mauricio Macri, ensured a swift U-turn. Messi and Argentina were not done yet. He dragged his side to the World Cup in Russia, scoring a hattrick against Ecuador when it mattered the most.  

The wait for this elusive trophy, however, went on. Argentina fell to France and Kylian Mbappe in the round of 16 in Russia. People made comparisons again. Mbappe is the future. Messi was the past.

When it felt that Messi could possibly never lift the trophy that mattered the most, that night in Qatar arrived four years later at the 2022 World Cup final against familiar opponents – Mbappe and France. At 35, Messi finally climbed to his highest peak. A World Cup winner. The Greatest of All Time. Stop the comparisons, the world said. Ronaldo was good. Messi, it turns out, was just better.

Cue commentator Peter Drury on that magical night: “Lionel Messi has conquered his final peak. Lionel Messi has shaken hands with paradise. The little boy from Rosario, Santa Fe, has just pitched up in heaven. He climbs into a galaxy of his own. He has his crowning moment and, of course, he is not alone,” Drury described as Messi got ready to lift the World Cup.

“He was beautiful. He was the point of difference. He has always been the point of difference. Unparalleled, and maybe today there will, of course, always be those who argue, always be those who debate. And the debate could rage on if you like. But as he falls in love with the object in the world that his heart most desired, it is hard to escape the supposition that he has rendered himself today, the greatest of all time.”

I will confess. That night, I wanted Kylian Mbappe and France to defend their World Cup. It wasn’t a harsh dream. Messi’s powers were on the wane. He was 35. Mbappe was, and is, the future and a force of nature. Was it inconsiderate for a football fan to dream against popular belief?

But this is Messi we are talking about. He huffed and puffed to carry Argentina to their ultimate glory in Qatar. It was a World Cup campaign of grit and gamesmanship. It’s hard to recall another era where players followed one singular figure into battle the way Argentina backed Messi in 2022. It was just meant to be.

His retirement is a reminder that behind the football magic, the moments that defied logic and lifted people off their seats for many years, lies a man who simply knew it was time after the 2026 World Cup final. Messi admitted that he was left with nothing left to give. His father Jorge’s passing in August had made him “more convinced than before” to retire.

It's a reminder that superstars, no matter how untouchable and mercurial, are after all human. They cry. They bleed. They feel. And all good things do come to an end. Fortunately, we can still enjoy Messi in the pink of Inter Miami, as he continues to conjure up moments with the football only he can manage.

Like I said, I never liked Lionel Messi. He wasn’t perfect. But like his control over the football, the way he made the ball sing and ping across the football field, he compelled me to become a fan down the years. My word, what a player. I guess that’s what GOATs do. They lead. You follow.