Leo Messi bids adieu, football lovers feel the agony
Published: October 06, 2026 05:36 PM IST
Lionel Messi is retiring from professional football after his final match for Argentina against Benin.
Messi’s career is highlighted by overcoming significant past heartbreaks with his national team, culminating in major tournament victories including the 2022 World Cup.
His retirement marks the end of an era, leaving an irreplaceable void in football and inspiring future generations.
A day that people from the footballing community all over the world refuse to relive ever again has finally arrived, as football’s one of the greatest of all time hit the field for a final time. Lionel Messi will hang up his boots after Argentina’s international friendly match against Benin at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A decision that the world knew was imminent, but kept neglecting for so long, just out of pure ecstasy to experience the magical man’s left-leg tango time after time. But they have now run out of excuses to keep the show running. After an unreal display from the 39-year-old at the World Cup, Messi himself has confessed that his legs have given up, which broke millions of hearts across the world. The weight of his beloved father, Jorge Messi’s demise, added to his pain.
This, however, is not necessarily a fresh feeling for those who have been part of his journey. It almost found its most tragic end back in 2016, when he was too exhausted to come back and try again after a series of heartbreaking defeats at the biggest stages for his country in the 2014 World Cup and the two Copa America tournaments that followed in the successive years.
Messi’s journey could have ended as the saddest story in football history. In a weirdly contrasting way, he was once the most hated and most loved man in Argentina. His passion and loyalty to his nation were questioned multiple times, all because he failed to get them past the line, while deliberately forgetting a subtle but unnatural story of a player carrying a nation on his shoulders through every challenge in front of them. He stepped up when it mattered, and only in his absence did the people realise who kept their team alive when everything could have gone astray.
That alone makes his retirement the most poetic story in sports history, as he refused to give up and found his way back to giving his country everything he promised and even more. Messi added a third star to the Albiceleste jersey, winning a World Cup in 2022 and two Copa America trophies in 2021 and 2024. Interestingly, everything that slipped away from his hands, Messi won it in the most elegant way one could ever imagine.
A generation of footballers whom Messi unknowingly inspired combined to fight with him in his quest for the ultimate glory. Every match imitated a battle, and at the helm came Lionel Scaloni, his former comrade, to guide the team in a way Messi always desired. The players complemented Messi’s game; they galloped across the field to meet every pass from their captain. They tracked back miles to defend with their heart and blood, all to get one man the accolades he deserved.
Messi fought with an unchanged hunger, even after winning every possible title for his country. In 2026, he returned for another World Cup campaign, going at it with everything he got at an age where many legends chose to call it a day. His journey only ended at the final, going down against Spain. Yet his passion shone through a campaign filled with memories of triumphs written into the history books, making the competition one of the best individual campaigns in football history.
With the most cinematic redemption story coming to an end, Argentina will certainly be playing with a heavy heart, battling to come to terms with seeing their idol come to an end. Yet, the players, along with people all over the world, will be relieved that it happened after a just coronation for what could have been a disastrous tale.
“I’m really sad, but there’s no point in being so. He’s getting old, and when the time comes, everyone has to make that call. Even at this age, the goals he still manages to score for Inter Miami are astonishing,” says former Indian international and Malayali sports icon IM Vijayan, readying himself to watch Messi’s final game.
“This is a huge loss because we won’t get to see someone like Messi play ever again. It’s quite saddening to think of Argentina continuing without him. But when the time comes, one has to retire,” Vijayan told Onmanorama.
“Age is indeed an issue, isn’t it? He has achieved everything, and there’s nothing left to prove. He won everything, including the World Cup. He departs like a king after coronation, as he absolutely should be,” Vijayan’s words resonate with every football fan across the globe.
The match between Argentina and Benin will kick off at 4:30 AM IST on Wednesday. Lionel Messi will remain Argentina’s history, leaving an irreplaceable void in the footballing world, for generations to commemorate who he was. A generation of children will be born without getting to see him play in the Albiceleste colours ever again, and for Argentina, the Messiah who led them through thick and thin will leave, a beloved god.