"Now I will be on the other side." Messi's farewell speech

"Now I will be on the other side." Messi's farewell speech

Lionel Messi has said goodbye to the Argentina national team. On the night of October 7, the 39-year-old forward played his final match for the national team against Benin (3:0). In the 10th minute (the number the player wore on his shirt throughout his entire career), the match was briefly halted — the fans gave him a standing ovation, while the players on the pitch came up to him and shook his hand.

After the match, the striker delivered an emotional 10-minute speech to the fans gathered at the Monumental Stadium.

"I don't want to leave"

"It is very difficult to say something today. Emotions are overflowing, a thousand different thoughts are running through my head. Of course, the first thing that comes to my mind is my father. As I said earlier in my farewell letter, I can only express my gratitude. Wearing this shirt for more than 20 years was a great honor for me. Even in the hardest moments we went through, I never stopped fighting, battling, giving my all, and I always wanted to be here. Realizing that I will never return here hurts me very deeply.

I swear, I would have wanted to stay here for a lifetime. Playing for the Argentina national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you. As I said before, I wanted to be here my whole life, but the time has come. The last World Cup — everything I went through was a huge test. We were fortunate enough to realize my dream and the dream of the entire country — to become world champions again.

In the last World Cup, we were very close, and to be honest, as people said, nothing extraordinary happened. The match against England took a lot of strength from us — both physical and emotional strength. A huge amount of energy was spent. We struggled to reach the next stage. But we fought for victory, as has always been the case when wearing this shirt.

With all my companions with whom I walked this path — not only those with whom we tasted the championship together, but also those before them — we came very close to becoming champions. Never doubt: everyone who played with me always gave their all for this shirt. Always.

I thank all my teammates for the moments we spent together. There are so many of them. They helped me achieve my childhood dreams — to become a world champion, to win the Copa América and the Finalissima.