All over the world, Lionel Messi is revered as one of the greatest soccer players in history. This admiration is, of course, strongest in his home country of Argentina, where a special tribute was organized following his retirement from the national team.
2022 World Champion, 207 appearances for the Albiceleste, and 125 goals: The superlatives for Argentina’s all-time leading player and captain, Lionel Messi, are too numerous to count. After 21 years, however, he has now announced the end of his career with the national team, prompting the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to organize a special tribute.
“It is hereby decreed that on the next match day across all divisions and all sports (soccer, futsal, and beach soccer), for both men’s and women’s teams, play will be paused 10 minutes into the first half,” reads an unambiguous official announcement from the AFA to the clubs. This will be followed by one minute of applause and other tributes—such as waving flags or singing chants—in honor of Messi’s career with the Argentine national team.
Iconic 10
The 10th minute, of course, is no coincidence: Messi wore this iconic number for most of his time with the Albiceleste. The now 39-year-old took over the number from Juan Roman Riquelme in March 2009 after Riquelme retired from the national team.
But the cheers, applause, and chants in the 10th minute—as happened for the first time in the Copa Argentina during the match between CA Vélez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors (3–4 on penalty kicks)—are not all. A video is also set to be shown in all “stadiums equipped with screens before the start of matches.” A grand tribute to a player whom the country looks up to as one of its greatest—and not just in sports.
Messi announced the end of his career in an Instagram post after “careful consideration,” having already retired once in 2016 only to make a comeback. This was followed by his greatest triumph in the national team jersey: the 2022 World Cup victory.
Most recently, he had reached the World Cup final for a third time with Argentina in July, but, as is well known, lost 0-1 to Spain in extra time. Even then, the tears after the game suggested that it would likely be “La Pulga’s” last match for the Albiceleste.
