Messi, who made his debut for Argentina in 2005 at the age of 18, announced his retirement from international football on Monday.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Real Madrid manager José Mourinho and Lionel Messi’s international teammate Rodrigo De Paul have eulogised the Argentine maestro following his retirement from international football.
The duo hailed the 39-year-old Inter Miami forward in separate statements that recently made the rounds on social media.
Messi, who made his debut for the Argentina national team in 2005 at the age of 18, confirmed his retirement in a statement on his Instagram account on Monday.
He wrote: “After all this time since the final match, and after much thought, I want to announce to everyone that I have decided to retire from playing with the national team.”
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Since his debut as a professional footballer, Messi has solidified his status as arguably the greatest player of all time, amassing 125 goals and 68 assists in 207 matches across all competitions for his country.
Reacting to the announcement, Mourinho commented on the Barcelona legend’s post: “Congratulations on a wonderful and unforgettable international career. The next Copa América and the next World Cup will not be the same in your absence as they were before.”
Also celebrating his former skipper, De Paul thanked his captain for his unconditional love for Argentina.
Waxing lyrical about Messi, De Paul expressed his gratitude for his exemplary leadership and resilience on the pitch, asserting that he will remain “immortal forever” in the annals of football history.
“Your unconditional love for our country, your internal battles so that you never surrender, your strength to always endure injustice, your leadership and great humanity with every player who entered the national team headquarters to feel at ease, and your care and beautiful details with every member of our national team…
“I can only say thank you; you are the greatest in history. Thank you for bringing us immense joy; you cannot fathom the number of smiles you have created on our faces! You are immortal forever,” De Paul said.
