Messi is leaving international football with grace. Ronaldo could never
In boxing, some say the classiest way to go out is on your back, staring at the lights. Everyone loves a fairytale ending, but there is a certain closure that comes with bowing out in defeat.
Regardless of what happens in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night, in a friendly against Benin,Lionel Messiwill end his Argentina career in a similar vein. The final, overriding taste will be one of loss.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, 39,announced his retirement from international footballfollowing the 2026 World Cup. His designated farewell match will be held at the the iconic Estadio Monumental, home ofRiver Plate.
He completely outperformed expectation, even for him, at the World Cup to show that he could still run the show while pushing 40. Eight goals, four assists and, briefly, the tournament's all-time top scorer - before golden boot winner Kylian Mbappe snatched that accolade- represented a truly remarkable output for the Argentinian magician, even if it all came to nothing.
After guiding the defending champions to a second successive World Cup final, he was unable to repeathis heroics of Qatarto end on the highest of highs. In fact, it was the lowest of lows.
Argentina's post-match brawl sparked by Leandro Paredes and co. cast a cloud of shame over him and an entire nation, though Messi was not an innocent party in Argentina's performance of disgrace.
In the aftermath of Enzo Fernandez ragdolling Pau Cubarsi to get himself sent off in second-half stoppage time, he tried to level the playing field after Marc Cucurella spoke while covering his mouth, appealing to the referee to produce a red under the"Vinicius law"- something that had been written into the game courtesy of compatriot Gianluca Prestianni's alleged racism. It was a desperate abandonment of sporting integrity from a footballing marvel made out to be immune to mistakes.
Spain ran out deserving winners against Argentina's anti-football in extra time. Messi's tears on New Jersey shores spoke to an inevitability.
Though with less individual ignominy than Diego Maradona before him, whose international retirement followed a failed drug test at the 1994 World Cup, Messi was similarlyhurtling towards the end of his tenure as Argentina's heroic figurehead. That was rubber stamped by thepassing of his father and agent, Jorge, at the age of 68 after a long illness.