Of all the messages that landed under Messi’s Argentina retirement post, the one that traveled furthest was written by the coach who built his reputation trying to keep him quiet.
Mourinho replied in the comments under the announcement, telling the 39-year-old: “Congratulations on a brilliant and unforgettable international career. The next Copa America and the next World Cup won’t be the same,” as Mundo Albiceleste reported.
The Portuguese manager faced Messi repeatedly across his spells at Chelsea and Real Madrid, and the message from that specific rival gave the tribute an unusual weight in a news cycle otherwise dominated by teammates and federations.
Messi’s own words
Messi confirmed the decision on Monday, August 31, more than a month after Argentina’s extra-time defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey.
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“After the time that passed since the final, thinking about it a lot, I want to communicate to everyone that I am retiring from the national team,” he wrote in Spanish on Instagram, in a message carried by NPR. “It was a decision that hurt and hurts my soul, but I understand that this is the moment.”
In a longer passage published across the coverage, he added: “I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team. I’ve given it my all, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some really great young players coming through behind me who deserve their chance.”
He ends 21 years of Argentina duty with 207 caps and a national-team record of 125 goals, 21 of them in World Cups, capped by the 2022 World Cup and Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.
The teammates chime in
The reaction from inside the Argentina dressing room read as a farewell to a captain rather than a colleague.
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“You are immortal. Forever,” midfielder Rodrigo De Paul wrote, in one of the tributes gathered by Sports Illustrated.
Leandro Paredes told him: “Thank you for absolutely everything. You are and always will be the greatest.”
Former captain Javier Zanetti framed the departure in institutional terms: “He was a captain in every sense of the word… he represented us with that leadership.”
Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo also posted: “I’m so proud to have been by your side on this journey and to see you fulfill all your dreams.”
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Club career continues at Inter Miami
The retirement is from international duty only. Messi remains under contract at Inter Miami until the end of the 2028 Major League Soccer season, as Goal noted alongside the Mourinho tribute, a runway that keeps him on the pitch in Fort Lauderdale even as Argentina begins the search for its post-Messi identity.
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