Messi gave the interview six days after walking off the pitch at the Monumental for the last time, and his admission was simple: the enormity has not landed yet.
The Argentina captain retired from the national team in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin on 6 October, scoring from the spot in the 71st minute. He had his three sons at his side on the pitch before kick-off. His father Jorge, who died in August, could not be there.
“It’s hard to talk. There are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head. The first thing I think about is my old man,” Messi said after the final whistle.
“It was a huge source of pride for me to wear this shirt all this time, more than 20 years.”
Read also: Trump on Sophia Cunningham: Watch her for her looks, no her game
“Not coming any more is going to hurt a lot. I swear, I’d love to keep coming my whole life, because playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”
208 caps, 126 goals, and the one he didn’t win
The numbers behind the farewell are the heaviest in Argentina’s history: 208 appearances and 126 goals, both national records. Messi leaves as the world champion of Qatar in 2022, the trophy that framed his international career.
The one he did not add was a second World Cup. Argentina lost the 2026 final to Spain 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium on 19 July, Ferran Torres finishing in the 106th minute after Enzo Fernández had been sent off at the end of regulation.
Messi wrote his retirement note on 21 July, two days after that final, but held it back. The handwritten announcement did not appear on Instagram until 31 August.
Read also: ‘I want to be on the bench’: Mourinho’s silent strategy before Camp Nou
“After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I’m retiring from the national team,” he wrote.
“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep inside, but I understand that this is the right moment.”
Only Inter Miami remains
Messi, 39, is still under contract at Inter Miami, and Major League Soccer is now the only level at which he will keep playing.
The interview with Mundo Deportivo was published on 12 October.
Read also: Seixas to target Grand Tour podium in 2027 as team weighs Giro against Tour de France
Read also: Pau Cubarsí picks his Ballon d’Or winner: “He’s the best in the world”
