Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso has revealed a light-hearted message that Lionel Messi wrote for him on his shirt, on the night the Argentina captain bid farewell to the Tango dancers.
Messi wrote to his international team-mate: "I will miss hammering goals past you and watching you get angry."
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The Atlético Madrid goalkeeper posted a picture of the dedication on his Instagram account and said goodbye to Messi in two words: "Thank you forever." He addressed the same two words to team-mate Nicolás Otamendi, who was also called up for the farewell match.
The "Flea" played his final match with Argentina against Benin at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires yesterday, Tuesday, a friendly the Argentine Football Association organised especially to honour him.
Messi had announced his international retirement on 31 August. The president of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, then invited all the 2022 world champions to attend the farewell. He said: "We decided to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain Lionel Andrés Messi, so that he could have the farewell he truly deserves."
Adidas published a video clip before the match in which Messi said: "This shirt was my dream, my pride and my life."
It brought down the curtain on an international career that began on 17 August 2005 with a friendly against Hungary and lasted 21 years. Messi won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and claimed the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles, as well as the 2022 Finalissima.