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.
Despite scoring in his final international outing in Buenos Aires, a 3-0 friendly win over Benin, Lionel Messi ended his Argentina career in a similar vein. The final, overriding taste was one of loss.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, 39, announced his retirement from international football following the 2026 World Cup. His designated farewell match was held at the the iconic Estadio Monumental, home of River Plate.
Widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, Messi goes out having seen his stock rise even further in the summer. 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 repeat his heroics of Qatar to 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.
His efforts both in this regard and with the football at his feet proved fruitless. 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 similarly hurtling towards the end of his tenure as Argentina’s heroic figurehead. That was rubber stamped by the passing of his father and agent, Jorge, at the age of 68 after a long illness.
Six weeks after the final, Messi confirmed his retirement. “There isn’t much time left, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply,” he wrote on Instagram. “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."
It felt right. After 21 years, 207 appearances, 125 goals and 68 assists, there will be just one more game. An international career categorised by pain and perseverance, he bows out with a World Cup, two Copa Americas and an Olympic gold medal to his name; though in contrast to his club success, he more often fell at the final hurdle. Runners-up medals at two World Cups and three Copa Americas, heartbreak regularly prevailed during the Messi era - something that eventually became the rocket fuel for the current crop of players, dedicated to deliver him those titles before it was too late. Lionel Scaloni built a team that would first and foremost die for Messi; that team won Argentina’s first World Cup since Mexico ‘86 and third overall.
He retired having achieved what he wanted, and he retired an undisputed hero. The same cannot be said for his “GOAT debate” counterpart, if you can even call him that anymore, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s coming to the most pathetic of ends thanks to his latest strop.
After at least two years of being a hinderance to the team’s efforts, taking up a starting spot that should be going to someone younger and more deserving, Ronaldo opted against using the natural end of the World Cup cycle to hang up his international boots and instead remained in the fold. That was until he quit the squad due to alleged broken promises by manager Jorge Jesus, which revolved around being left as an unused substitute for the first time in 18 years for a Nations League clash with Norway; one Portugal won, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos scoring the winner.
The thing is, nobody actually cares anymore. Ronaldo is like that self-important wet flannel you kind of know that posts: “Deleting my social media, had enough of fake people. If you need me, text me.” Except he’s not 14, he’s 41.
It seems like he actually received that message of football’s collective eye-roll, because after being fined the paltry sum of £215 and suspended for 30 days by the Portuguese FA, Ronaldo has now decided to call time on his 23-year Portugal career. He leaves as international football’s all-time top goalscorer and top appearance maker, yet his retirement comes with an avoidable sour taste in the mouth; like someone took a sledgehammer to a sculpture. One of the undisputed icons of this sport has undoubtedly eroded his legacy because of the late-career antics, though it is a relief to see him finally come to his senses on the Portugal front in an act of damage control.
Then there’s his rival, who has watched silently as Ronaldo kept hammering nail after nail into the coffin that is his “GOAT” argument. Messi’s continues to glisten, despite being fresh off failure on the grandest of stages, both on an individual and team level. He has more than enough credit in the bank for that to be forgiven.
Many on Portugal would probably say the same for Ronaldo. After all, he captained the country to a first major title at Euro 2016, and is far and away their all-time top scorer with 146 goals in 234 games. But the pitfalls of his personality have become increasingly hard to defend, even if “hard to defend” isn’t exactly a phrase you’d associate Ronaldo with at the top level anymore.
Both footballers have defined an era of football to a point of deification in their respective homelands. It’s just that Messi left at the right time, with dignity and his head held high; while Ronaldo threw in the towel after clinging on for too long.
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