AFA bids farewell to Lionel Messi with tribute to his first retirement

Argentina’s football federation said goodbye to Lionel Messi through the voice of its own crest, turning the captain’s international retirement into a tribute to the full arc of his career.

“

Never have so many people around the world carried the blue and white with me on their chests, and we owe that to you.

The Argentine Football Association published a video on social media after Messi announced the end of his national-team career, more than 20 years after he first wore the blue-and-white shirt. The film revisits defining moments and addresses Messi directly, presenting the federation’s emblem as a narrator.

“Never have so many people around the world carried the blue and white with me on their chests, and we owe that to you,” the video says. It gives particular attention to Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar, telling Messi that he carried the crest with pride and changed it forever by adding a third star to the two Argentina already had.

“

You carried me with pride on your chest and changed me forever, because I had two and you gave me the third star.

The farewell also recalls the most painful part of Messi’s international journey. It refers to his temporary decision to quit the national team in 2016, after Argentina lost three consecutive finals, and describes the heartbreak that accompanied that moment. The video then returns to the 2021 Copa América victory at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã, the road to Qatar and the celebrations that followed the World Cup title.

“

Although at some point you thought it was not for you, and that was when I heard your heart break.

Messi finished his international career with 207 matches, 125 goals and 68 assists. The AFA identified him as Argentina’s record appearance holder and top scorer, as well as one of the national team’s defining symbols. Its final message focused on the next generation: “More and more children are putting on this shirt, and do you know what I hear them say every time they wear it? That when they grow up, they all want to be like you.”

“

More and more children are putting on this shirt, and do you know what I hear them say every time they wear it? That when they grow up, they all want to be like you.