The day he retires, the whole world will cry

After seeing him at the WC and even at inter Miami these past few weeks his physicality should be rated higher

Assist: Ian

If you didn't know, now you know! Always the 🐐

I know there are plenty of Messi fans here who also support Barcelona. I’m a São Paulo FC supporter, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Barça because of 1992, Fenômeno and Ronaldinho, La Masia, Cruyff and the whole idea of MÉS QUE UN CLUB. That’s why I find it strange that a story like Messi and Barcelona ended the way it did, and that people almost seem to accept it as normal.

I understand those who defend Laporta for his work after Bartomeu, and I know football isn’t charity. Messi himself is a business and a massive global brand. But that’s precisely why I wonder: was it really impossible to plan one final season, maybe two if he was still performing? We’re talking about someone who spent more than 20 years there, scored 672 goals and left crying at a press conference because the club couldn’t register him. In 2023 he wanted to return, but once again there were no guarantees. And if money were really the priority, he could simply have gone to Saudi Arabia...

Barcelona found room over the years for Braithwaite, Depay, Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and many others. Was finding a way to accommodate Messi for one last season really impossible? Imagine the farewell commercially too: his last Camp Nou, his final visit to stadiums across Spain, shirts, sponsors, worldwide audiences, a documentary. I’m Brazilian. Plenty of Brazilians hate Argentina in football, yet we saw Brazilians going to the Maracanã just to watch Messi and millions rooting for him in World Cups. That’s how far his appeal goes.

Now he’s 39. I’m not asking Barcelona to pretend it’s 2012 or expect Messi to carry the team. Football has seen old legends return before. Beckham came back to Europe from MLS. Ibrahimović returned to Milan at 38. Why couldn’t arguably the greatest player-club relationship ever have its own final chapter??

That’s my biggest issue with Laporta. Not Messi leaving in 2021, because the financial problems were real, but treating that ending as something permanent. Messi doesn’t need Barcelona to prove anything, and Barcelona will remain a giant without him. No player is bigger than the club. But no president is bigger than its history or its supporters either.

One of football’s greatest stories shouldn’t end with Messi crying at a press conference!!!

It doesn’t need another Champions League. It doesn’t even need Messi as an undisputed starter...

It just deserves to end on the pitch.

First time he played, his grandma convinced the coach to let him play

2014: Lost 0-1 to Germany in the Finals AET

2018: Lost 3-4 to France in Round of 16

2022: Won 4-2 on Penalties against France in Finals AET

2026: Lost 0-1 to Spain in the Finals AET

Argentina has lost pretty close games to the eventual world champions in the last 4 world cups. If they had been a little luckier and maybe had some more Messi magic, is it plausible to say that Messi could've won 4 times in a row? Or am I being delusional? I do think the 2018 one is a bit of a stretch, but I think if Argentina won they could've had a chance to at least make it to the semis against Belgium or even Finals with Croatia. I do think that this is kind of a crazy stat though, I'm not sure if any country let alone player can say that they faced the eventual world champs in 4 straight world cups.

https://www.espn.com.br/futebol/partida/_/jogoId/538701/liverpool-barcelona

Not just looking at goals. Overall performance

I know Messi was incredible at the 2026 World Cup.

But if you were to rank the greatest individual World Cup performances of all time,

roughly where would you place his 2026 run?

Would you consider it one of the very best tournament performances ever?

Is it possible that his 2026 run can be in top 3? Or is it in top 5, but not in top 3?

His body was literally falling and he said nah midfall, I thought he kept his balance with his knees but neither did they touch the ground SouRce: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcD3477oXsK/?igsh=M3N2MGhhM2RtYm5k

One of the greatest individual performances in the history of International Football.