I’ve already said this several times: Leo Messi is much more than an extraordinarily gifted football player. He’s a positive leader (so scarce in the whole world nowadays), a role model, a human being who inspires, someone to look up o, someone to be held in high esteem. Humble, modest, sensitive, unpretentious, simply one-of-a-kind. Last Tuesday at the Monumental Stadium, he surely reaped his harvest. Thousands of fans cheering, clapping and weeping all along his farewell to the national team. Messi has never let his fame and fortune go to his head. He has stayed down-to-earth despite his success. And he has always stressed the importance of teamwork (“nadie puede solo”), something that our politicians lack. “Make no mistake, every teammate I’ve had alongside me has always given everything for this shirt, always. I can tell you that we are an extraordinary group, and that is why we achieved everything we achieved” – a deserved tribute to his mates. “I’m going to miss you,” he said. And I dare say the whole world is going to miss Messi too. Dearly so.
Buenos Aires Times, October 10, 2026