Messi Retires as one of the GOATs of International Football
Time catches up to us all, even the greatest of all-time, and that's the case for Lionel Messi, as the Argentine legend has decided to hang his boots up for La Albiceleste.
Video Transcript
Now I know what you're thinking, "George, why are you wearing a hat?
You never wear a hat in these videos."
And the simple answer is, is that my hair is an absolute mess this morning and I can't be bothered to sort it out before I do some recording here, guys.
I just can't.
I just can't.
I gotta get these recordings out of the way this morning, bright and early as it were.
Gotta get through these stories.
And of course, the big story today, one that I think a lot of us knew was coming.
We all I mean, it, it's inevitable.
It's inevitable that footballers retire.
They are not forever.
They do eventually have to hang up their boots, whether it's for their international team, whether it's for their club side, or of course, both in a lot of cases.
It's inevitable.
Even the GOATs of the sport have to call it a day someday.
It's inevitable.
Time catches up with us all eventually, and that is what's happened here with Lionel Messi.
He has officially announced that he is retiring from Argentine national duty.
Not really a surprise given how the World Cup ended, given the news tragically with his father, who of course passed away a few weeks ago.
Jorge Messi no longer with us, sadly.
Rest in peace.
Absolutely terrible news there.
And yeah, very much people saying that after that happened, he was considering retiring, not only from international duty, but also for his club side as well, Inter Miami.
Although he played very well for Inter Miami the other day as well.
Fair play to the guy.
If you wanna find out more about that, there will be a MLS review that goes out around the same time as this here on thefootballchronicle.com.
If you're on MSN, you probably won't find it unfortunately, but you will find it over on Yahoo.
We got a decent audience on Yahoo for American football.
Not the hand egg, not the hand egg.
We don't do that, for now anyway.
But, for the actual football, the one played with your feet.
I know, revolutionary.
But here's what Lionel Messi has had to say about his retirement from the international game.
I very much do feel like it is time.
It feels like it's the right time.
Two World Cup finals, also winning the World Cup on top of those two as well.
Copa Amrica titles.
I mean, one of the most successful players in the history of international football.
That cannot be overstated.
But interestingly as well, it's not the only time he's retired.
Remember he retired back in, what was it?
I wanna say it was 2015.
He lost the World Cup final to Germany, then he lost the Copa Amrica final, I can't remember to who.
It might've been Chile in 2015.
They were pretty good back then.
What has happened to them?
They have absolutely fell off.
But anyway, let's have a look at what Messi has been saying about his international retirement from La Albiceleste.
Honestly, I never wear a hat so much that I forgot to wear my glasses.
I remembered as soon as I looked at the screen and started reading.
Like, "Oh, no, I can't do this without these."
Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, telling supporters that he has nothing left to give after two decades wearing the Argentina shirt.
Yes, he was involved in the World Cup squad for Argentina in 2006.
In fact, if you consult this, my full 2006 Germany World Cup book here.
Yes, I do have this, and it's one of my pride of places very much because it was such a faff to actually collect them all in the end.
And you go over to page 20, you go to Argentina, and you can see him.
There he is.
18, 19 years old, something like that.
Yeah, some What, what a group of players in there by the way.
Vern in there.
Batistuta will be in here I think as well.
Mascherano.
Man, Argentina had a real team, and these guys didn't cheat to try and win games either.
At least, not cheating much anyway.
Of course, Tevez on that side.
That's all I'll say on that one.
But anyway, let's get back to the article.
The 39-year-old made the call in a personal statement, describing it as a decision that "hurts me deeply," even as he insisted the time had come to step aside.
He wrote, quote, "I love, have loved, and will always love being a 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," end quote.
The numbers behind that farewell are almost impossible to argue with.
Messi leaves Argentina as their all-time leading goal scorer and most capped player with 125 goals and 207 appearances.
That is ridiculous.
He captained the country to World Cup glory in 2022 in Qatar, and also added two Copa America titles to his collection, finishing his international career as the second-highest scorer in World Cup history with 21 goals, only behind Kylian Mbappe.
I mean, Mbappe's record in the World Cup is just insanity.
I don't know how he scored that many, but hey, you know, there we go.
He's not done yet.
He's got another two, three World Cups potentially as well.
He's gonna get 40 goals in the World Cup, mark my words.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 146, has scored more international goals than Messi's 125.
I can't believe Ronaldo hasn't announced he's retiring from Portugal, but he's still going officially at least.
Messi first raised the possibility of stepping back from international football earlier in August, in the period after his father died at the age of 68 following a long illness.
He said he wrote his retirement message on the 21st of July, two days after Argentina lost to Spain in the summer's World Cup final, but waited before making it public.
He wrote on Instagram, quote, "Today, after what happened with my dad, I'm even more convinced than before."
End quote.
The final itself had already left a mark.
Messi broke down in tears at the MetLife Stadium after the one-nil defeat in extra time against Spain, and posted his own reflection on the loss at the time saying, quote, "The pain is very great and it's going to be hard for this wound to heal.
With the good things, the matches that we turned around, giving everything the With the good things, with the matches that we turned around, giving everything, that will remain forever in memory.
With the support of an entire country that, together with the work and effort of this group, led us to be, once again, among the best in the world."
End quote.
The timing of the retirement appears to trace back to two events landing close together, the death of his father and a World Cup final defeat by Spain that was closer on the score line than it was on the pitch.
I mean, yeah, it was a really, really one-sided game, and it was a farcical affair.
And I g- I really think that that had something to do with his decision as well, the way that his teammates were acting as well, not only in the final, but also in the semifinal, what they were doing after the final whistle against England.
I know people will say that I'm biased, but come on.
They've literally been punished by FIFA as well now for it.
What they did with the Falklands banner, and what they did as well with their conduct after the final loss against Spain as well, it was not acceptable, and they've been rightly punished for it as well.
The gap between Spain and Argentina on the night was obvious in Messi's body language as he looked around the stadium and doubts lingered from that moment about whether he would put himself through another campaign at the top level.
I mean, the next World Cup, he'd be 43.
I mean, f- well, that's the I think that's even older than Roger Miller, wasn't it, back in the day?
I think he was 41, 42 when he was playing for Cameroon.
Every athlete eventually loses that particular race against time.
Messi simply held it off longer than almost anyone else in the sport's history.
And he also reinvented how he played as well.
You know, the way he played was also very helpful in terms of the lack of physical effort he had to put in.
Not saying he was taking it easy or being a passenger by any means, but what he did for the most part in terms of his movement was so clever, it was incredible.
You look at how he moves on the pitch.
I think there are some games where he does less steps than, like, the goalkeeper and stuff like that.
It's incredible stuff.
But it's very effective.
He gets loads of assists and loads of goals, even now, almost 40 years of age.
And there's more information there about his debut all the way back in 2005 as well, getting a red card and, you know I think it was like a minute or two into him coming off the bench.
He retired in 2016.
Not '15, it was '16.
It was Chile, though.
They lost to Chile, so I got that part right.
But lots more information on thefootballchronicle.com.
I mean, I can wax lyrical about this guy forever.
For me, he's firmly the GOAT.
He is firmly the GOAT.
You know, there is, there is nobody really that, that I think is better than him.
I mean, for me, you could say maybe Maradona.
You could maybe say Pele.
You know, they are both, really good o- options as well.
But for me, maybe because he's in my lifetime, I've grown up watching this guy.
You know, he really burst onto the scene when I was, like, 10, 11 years old and, you know, started getting into playing FIFA and started getting into playing, watching lots of football as well at that time, around the world, not just in England, you know.
That guy was always just, just incredible.
Like, the numbers he would output was ridiculous.
And he's still going.
I mean, he's still gonna be playing for Inter Miami.
I mean, I, I personally would be surprised if he plays beyond this current season.
The way the MLS works, it works on a calendar year basis, so it'll be done by the end of this year, 2026.
It won't go to, like, May, 2027 like the Football League and La Liga and most European, leagues, including the Premier League, of course, do do.
So it doesn't go on that kinda basis.
So I'd be surprised if he keeps going after that, but who knows?
Maybe he still play- enjoys playing for Inter Miami enough to keep it going for another season or two.
I mean, he's clearly still good enough.
He got a hat trick the other night in the MLS which is just incredible really.
That is- it's just normal for him.
It's just normal for him.
So let me know your thoughts in the comments below about all this, guys.
Is Messi the GOAT?
For me, he's not the GOAT of international football, you know.
For me very much, I would put Maradona above him because I think he really dragged the Argentina side to the World Cup victory in 1986.
I mean, Argentina were a great team in 2022, you know, so it wasn't out there that much that they won the World Cup.
They were finalists in 2014.
You kinda saw it coming.
But Pele for me is the number one when it comes to international football.
Three World Cups.
Three World Cups.
I don't think anybody's gonna beat that.
No one's gonna beat that.
And if they are gonna beat it, they'd have to beat it by doing a lot more World Cups than him.
He won three World Cups in four tournaments.
Simply the best at international football.
The club game though, overall, I'd still go Messi, but yeah, him and Pele for me, very close.
Maradona also thrown in there too, but that's just my personal opinion.
You could also put the original Ronaldo in there as well.
If it wasn't for the injuries, he would've achieved a lot more too, and he's still achieved a hell of a lot.
Two World Cups isn't bad.
But yeah, like I said, guys, like, share, comment, subscribe.
Your thoughts on Messi, your favorite Messi memories in the comments below, and we'll see you soon.
Have a good one.
And I promise you, this hat won't be around for too much longer.
