Messi's last tango with the national team: tears, emotion and eternal gratitude

BarcelonaWhere were we on August 17, 2005? That day, Lionel Messi made his debut with the senior Argentine national team in Budapest against Hungary. And within a few minutes, he had already been unfairly sent off. Who could have imagined then everything that destiny had in store for the footballer from Rosario. 21 years later, Messi has decided to close this chapter. This morning he played his last match with the Argentine national team against Benin. A somewhat lackluster friendly that ended with a 3-0 rout. With his last goal and the last two assists in a match where he played the full 90 minutes. Although a career with such glory perhaps deserved a more dignified final act than this friendly. Or perhaps the opponent or the narrative of the match mattered little. What was important had already been written in the previous two decades.

Arriving at the Monumental stadium in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires for this last tango, Messi was crying on the bus, emotional. Outside, thousands of people gathered on the roadsides to see him with the same devotion with which the faithful wait for a miracle while looking at a religious image. Messi has made a place for himself in the pagan pantheon of the Argentines, alongside Carlos Gardel, Evita Perón, and Maradona. He did it by playing, without speaking much, without wanting to be a social leader. He just wanted to play and he did it better than anyone, which is why the Argentines turned the last match almost into a national holiday, with concerts, television commercials, and many emotional people.

Where were we back in 2005 when Messi played his first match with Argentina? Many had not been born yet. Others of us did not know that a pandemic would come, a few crises, many broken dreams, and that Artificial Intelligence would condition our lives. We also did not know that Messi's natural intelligence on the pitch would thrill us so much, whether he was dressed in the blaugrana colors or in the albiceleste jersey. It is quite curious everything that this little Argentine has achieved. Every time Messi lost a Copa América final or received a hard foul in a qualifying match in Asunción or Bogotá, many felt a sting in their hearts suffering, without being Argentine. Thousands of Catalans celebrated the triumph of Argentina in the World Cup four years ago as if it were their own national team. By winning the World Cup in 2022, Messi was finally able to breathe easy. He already had his World Cup, just as Maradona had that one from 1986. The comparisons with Diego stopped being important. The shadow of a Maradona who is no longer here stopped hurting, just as Leo's father, who died recently, is no longer here.

When Maradona died, many Argentines justified their admiration for a man who had committed many sins by stating that it was not about explaining what the player had done with his own life. That what mattered was what he had done with the lives of others, making them happy by scoring goals. In this, Messi has excelled. He has become tired of spreading joy. Although he has suffered quite a bit. Not everything has been easy. He even went so far as to state that he was leaving the national team when the Argentines lost the finals. "There is no way," he said, crying after losing the second consecutive Copa América final against Chile. This morning the Monumental stadium was a party, but 15 years ago in the same stadium, there were doubts about Messi. It was said of him that he only played well with Barça. The number 10 jersey slowly spread its word, as if he were an old prophet.

And finally, he won the World Cup against France. For this reason, everyone wanted to be at the stadium yesterday. People who were moved this summer when a veteran Messi still managed to get the Argentine national team to the final by suffering, with more epicness than magic. All the politicians wanted to take photos with him, everyone wanted to give him gifts and souvenirs. Little ones with pacifiers in their mouths showed photos of Messi, living a day that they might not remember when they grow up. But Messi's three children, his mother, and his wife will remember it, all very moved in the box when Lionel went out onto the pitch for the last time to play for Argentina in a friendly where the opponent mattered little.

The opponent was Benin, a modest African team where the players were the happiest of all: destiny had allowed them to be close to Messi on the day he was leaving the national team. The Africans gave him awards and took a lot of photos with Messi, who was welcomed by a giant jersey with the number 10 and the word "gracias". When the Argentine anthem played, coach Lionel Scaloni was already crying. Messi, with his children, managed to avoid it. He seemed happy before playing a final match that would stop at the 10th minute, with fireworks and a message in the stadium. The Benin players went to hug him, euphoric. Messi seemed uncomfortable. He wanted to play. It is what he has always wanted to do, play. The rest matters little. But the final match perhaps was not up to the level of everything experienced before. Benin played their game, the Argentines did not want to play hard either, and very little football was played. The people were waiting to see if Messi would have any chances. Everything revolved around him. The rest mattered little.

And people watched him. And said thank you to him. For those who don't like football, it's hard to understand how a play by Messi lifts our spirits, saves our days, gives us faith, and moves us. Few people have done it as well as he has during these 21 years of international career in which he has gone from suffering disappointments to lifting titles. A journey that began in 2004 with a friendly match for the U-20 national team between Argentina and Paraguay, in front of just over 500 people, when the Argentine federation called him up, so that Spain wouldn't be able to convince him, since Messi was already living in Barcelona at the time. No, he would play for Argentina. To win a youth World Cup already in 2005, for starters. Later would come his debut in a World Cup in 2006, an Olympic Gold in 2008, and finally, after losing some finals, the most dreamed-of titles. Two Copa Américas and the Qatar World Cup. In total, 208 matches with 126 goals and 70 assists. Of those assists, the last two this morning. First with a cross headed in by Otamendi and then offering Nico Paz the chance to score a beautiful goal. Then Messi scored his last goal, from a penalty, when Benin was already doing what it could after having held a goalless draw until halftime.

This summer, after losing his third World Cup final, Messi proved to be smart. And he decided he was leaving the national team at 39 years old. He knew how to understand when it was time to step down, not like others who prolong their career chasing who knows what. Messi has left it now, with enough time for the Argentine Federation to have been able to organize a last match of a higher level. A last match and a last night with so many Catalans sleeping little to see him. A last day to let oneself be carried away by his rhythm when he plays, enchanted, thinking that in this strange world, everything seems more beautiful when Messi touches the ball. We will no longer be able to take refuge in his football from now on. His career at Inter Miami remains, but an era is coming to a close. And to think that many did not want or did not know how to enjoy him. They missed out. Today, Messi ended up crying when the match ended. He was not the only one. His mother, his children, and many fans were crying, while a farewell ceremony with drones and videos began. A strange ceremony, a bit forced. With Messi, it always gave that feeling. When he wasn't playing, everything was strange. And for 21 years, he has played with the national team like an angel.