Messi’s last dance in Argentina?: A farewell to the GOAT
On the question of the 2026 World Cup, he admitted that age makes it “most logical” not to continue but left the door slightly open
Today was not just another World Cup qualifier. Today (5 September) felt like history. When Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini walked out onto El Monumental in Buenos Aires, the sky above Argentina seemed to bear witness to something almost divine: what could be the final time the greatest footballer of all time, the GOAT, played on home soil in an official match.
For fans like me, who grew up tracing every dribble, every heartbreak, and every moment of magic, this was more than football. This was farewell.
And fittingly, Messi made it unforgettable. At 38, in what he confirmed was his final World Cup qualifier in Argentina, he scored twice in Argentina's 3–0 victory over Venezuela, reminding us that time may be passing but his genius has not dimmed. It was a farewell painted in goals, smiles, and the roar of a grateful Monumental crowd. Yet Messi was careful not to call it the end of his journey with the national team.
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On the question of the 2026 World Cup, he admitted that age makes it 'most logical' not to continue but left the door slightly open, saying he would take it day by day. As Messi himself put it:
Same as I said before about the World Cup that I do not think I'll play another. Because of my age, the most logical thing is that I won't make it. But well, we're almost there so I'm excited and motivated to play it. Like I always say, I go day by day, match by match. That's it, taking it day by day, going by how I feel.
I still remember the stories of that skinny boy from Rosario who battled growth hormone deficiency. Barcelona took a chance, signing him on a napkin when no one else would.
From that very moment, destiny was written. The boy who left Argentina with tears in his eyes returned years later as its eternal son, carrying a nation's hope on his shoulders. His debut in 2005 was brief and cruel, sent off just seconds after stepping onto the pitch, but it was a sign of the fire that would fuel his career.
For years, Messi's genius at Barcelona, with four Champions Leagues, seven Ballon d'Ors and countless records, was contrasted with his struggles in Argentina's colours. I watched him suffer the heartbreak of the 2014 World Cup final and the painful Copa América defeats in 2015 and 2016. The image of him in tears after the penalty miss in New Jersey still haunts me. For a moment, he even said goodbye to the national team. But Messi is not ordinary. He is resilience personified. He came back, because that is what legends do.
Then came the redemption arc that only fairytales are made of. On 10 July 2021 Messi lifted the Copa América at the Maracanã, finally breaking Argentina's 28-year drought. And then, the pinnacle: Qatar 2022. The world stopped as Messi, at 35, dribbled, scored and led Argentina to World Cup glory. From the outrageous assist against the Netherlands to his brace in the final, he proved that greatness is not only talent. It is persistence, belief and heart.
Numbers only tell part of the story. Yes, he is Argentina's all-time top scorer with more than 100 goals, the record holder for most appearances, the man who has redefined playmaking and finishing all at once. But his true gift is intangible. It is in the gasp of a crowd as he slaloms past defenders. It is in the tears of joy when he finally lifted that golden trophy in Lusail. It is in the way a whole country, divided by politics and hardship, unites when Messi touches the ball.
And now, here we are. Argentina is already on the road to the 2026 World Cup, but this night was different. Coach Lionel Scaloni fielded young stars like Mastantuono and Nico Paz alongside him, a passing of the torch carried out under Messi's watchful eye. Yet, on this stage, it was still the GOAT who stole the show, scoring a brace and turning a probable farewell into celebration.
As a die-hard fan, I cannot help but feel this is the closing page of a love story between a man and his homeland. Messi's journey has never been simple. It has been filled with pain, criticism, doubt and constant comparison. Yet he never stopped. He never abandoned us. And tonight, when the anthem played and the Monumental roared, it was not just Argentina thanking Messi. It was the entire football world.
Because Lionel Messi is not only the GOAT of Argentina. He is the GOAT of football, of our generation, of the very idea that beauty and brilliance can coexist on a patch of grass. And while his possible last bow in Argentina may mark the end of an era, the magic he created will never fade.
For those of us who lived through it, we were blessed. We did not just watch football, we watched Messi.
