Lionel Messi Bids Farewell to the National Team and Already Misses Wearing the National Team’s Jersey

The albiceleste captain, who concluded a historic career with 208 matches and 126 goals, assured that he already misses wearing the sky blue and white

The farewell to an era

Lionel Messi said on Wednesday that he already misses wearing the shirt of the Argentine national team, one day after playing his last match with the Albiceleste, and he asserted that he is making "the right decision" after more than two decades of an international career.

“Yesterday was my last game, and I already miss wearing the light blue and white. I know I'm making the right decision,”Messi wrote on his Instagram account, where he looked back on a journey that, he said, was “full of joys and also some sorrows,” but which he felt “was worth every step.”

The 39-year-old soccer player acknowledged that he still had "a lot to say" and that it is impossible for him to express everything he feels in a few words or in a single message after ending his time with the Argentine national team

Acknowledgments and unforgettable memories

Messi gave special thanks to his family, whom he credited with playing a key role throughout his career, especially “in difficult times, when he needed them most.” He also singled out his friends, teammates, and the coaches and coaching staff with whom he shared his journey.

The Argentine captain also dedicated a few words to Diego Armando Maradona, whom he thanked for having put "our country where it deserved to be." He stated that, as he often says, he feels that the former captain and 1986 World Cup champion helped them "by being here with us and also from heaven, at every step we took."

Messi also thanked the clubs where he played for always respecting his feelings and allowing him to dedicate himself to the national team when he had to wear the Argentina jersey. He concluded his acknowledgments with a reference to God, whose "guidance and will," he said, made it possible to reach that moment.

The message came a day after Messi said goodbye to the national team at the Monumental Stadium, where Argentina defeated Benin 3-0 with a penalty goal from Messi in front of more than 85,000 spectators

A historic night at the Monumental

The striker thus played his 208th match for the national team and scored his 126th goal, both historical records for the Albiceleste, on a night of tributes that also included the farewell of Nicolás Otamendi, scorer of Argentina's first goal.

"It was a great honor to wear this jersey," Messi said after the match, in a speech at the center of the field, surrounded by his teammates and his family.

The striker had then acknowledged that stopping playing for the national team would be "very painful" and that he would like to "play for it forever," although he stated that he believes this is the time to end his international career.

In his message on Wednesday, Messi once again expressed his gratitude to the fans: "I am grateful. I love you all very much. I'm going to miss you, and I will always thank you for being by our side, by my side,” he wrote, along with two hearts in the colors of the Argentine flag. EFE