I recently read a fantastic piece by Hugh Shilson here on The Student discussing the regrettable end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s international playing career. Knowing the likely final memories of Ronaldo in a Portugal shirt would be him (metaphorically) taking his ball and (literally) going home honestly angered me knowing this was largely of his own doing, but it also made me appreciate how special Lionel Messi’s recent retirement from international football was.
Let’s rewind the clock 10 years. Messi retires from Argentina in shame after an eleventh-hour fumble in the Copa America final, and Ronaldo holds Portugal’s European Championship above his head; their belated – and first ever – international trophy. It felt emblematic of a certain talking point in the Messi vs Ronaldo debate that was popular for years; that international success was the silver bullet in arguments over Messi’s legacy. How could he really be Maradona’s successor if his international career is so bare?
There was a certain feeling in the air at the 2022 World Cup. At least at that point it felt like it was the last dance for the prior generation and the final chance for Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, Suarez and fellow greats to win the big one. If it didn’t happen now, it was never going to happen again.
How did Messi answer this task? Only by providing showstopping performances against Mexico and Croatia, winning the Golden Ball for the second time (the first player to ever do this) and scoring a brace in the most cinematic game of football ever played. No biggie.
It was like the end of a movie: Messi’s equivalent to Rocky beating Apollo or the Mighty Ducks winning the playoffs. It felt surreal, but also dangerous. When no one expects anything more out of you, what motivates you? Resting on your laurels feels right, but can snowball easier than you think. So, when Messi was locked to compete at the 2026 World Cup it felt like a gamble. Why risk going on when you have the best ending you could ask for? It bordered on stupidity.
The stupid part was assuming the worst. 39-year-old Messi is still Lionel Messi. Eight goals and a third World Cup final suddenly made sticking around seem like an alright idea. He couldn’t go back-to-back but he was still comfortably Argentina’s best player while at an age most players are already retired.
But this alone isn’t why Messi’s retirement is special. He walks away even when Argentina still has a hunger to see him and he’s a key part of the team. It says a lot when Portugal’s reaction to losing Ronaldo is to carry on with business as usual. To leave them wanting more is better than leaving them asking why you didn’t leave sooner.
Messi left before he became a burden, and if his international career showed one thing it’s that you need equal amounts of hunger and restraint to make the most out of yourself.
“Lionel Messi Argentina v Egypt 7 July 2026-226” by Bryan Berlin is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
