Why did Messi suddenly retire, the reasons behind the decision

The national team had to leave one day. He was 39 years old. He had won everything possible in the Argentina jersey. Still, Lionel Messi's retirement announcement from the Argentina team last night came as a surprise to some. Because, until Messi announced this decision, no one even realized that today (yesterday) was that day!

So the speculation has not stopped yet. Why did Messi announce his retirement now is also a question that arises. The Argentine media outlet La Nacion reported that Messi decided to retire from the national team 43 days before the World Cup final on July 19. With this information, two and two can be combined.

Messi wrote in the last part of his retirement message, 'I wrote these (retirement message) words on July 21, two days after the final. After what happened to my father, today (yesterday) I am more certain than before.'

The World Cup has been held for 39 days. That is, Messi had decided to retire before the World Cup. The decision was made a little more certain after the 1-0 defeat to Spain in the final. Then, on August 8, after the death of his father Jorge Messi, he made the final decision.

Messi had made suggestive remarks about his future in the national team before the start of the World Cup. After losing his father, he admitted that his body was no longer responding as before. Recently, his teammates had also been indicating that Messi's retirement day was approaching. As his national team teammate Leandro Paredes explained on August 25, Messi had played his last match for the national team. And that match was the World Cup final. In Paredes' words, 'I think he made it clear that this was his last match for the national team.'

When you compare Paredes' words with some of Messi's retirement statements, the matter becomes somewhat clearer. In his retirement statement, Messi said, 'I have nothing more to give. Besides, there are many great young players coming up behind me who deserve to be (in the national team).'

The World Cup final is worth remembering. Argentina was completely defeated against Spain. That too while Messi was on the field—a rare occurrence in his career.

At the end of his career, did Messi feel that he had nothing more to give? Young players like Nico Paz and Thiago Almada have also emerged. Is that why Messi felt that the time was now? The question can be raised, because Messi made that final his last match with the national team and said in his retirement message, ‘I understand that this is the right time.’

FIFA’s first international break after the World Cup is from September 21 to October 6. Before that, Messi announced his retirement. In other words, the legend felt that this period before the start of a new four-year World Cup cycle was the right time to step away from the blue and white jersey. During this break, each national team will be able to play one to four matches. La Nación reported that the Argentine Football Association (AFA) is planning to hold a grand farewell reception in Buenos Aires to honor the World Cup runner-up Argentina team and Messi. So there is a possibility that he will be seen on the field at least once more in the national team jersey.

La Nación also reported that the death of his father 23 days ago influenced Messi's decision. At that time, Messi said, "I have doubts about how much longer I will continue playing football." Another reason can be assumed. The generation with which he spent years in the national team is starting to fall apart. Argentina is now going through a transformation with the 2030 World Cup ahead. Several of his teammates are nearing the end of their careers, and the team will have to be rebuilt. There are even doubts about the continued existence of coach Lionel Scaloni after next December.

In addition, Argentina has already secured a ticket to the 2030 World Cup as a co-host. This means that they will not have to play a long qualifying round. As such, the next big tournament for the Argentina national team is the 2028 Copa America. The 39-year-old Messi probably didn't want to wait until the middle two years, making him even older.

Many in the AFA hoped that Messi would play for the national team for a few more days. The reason behind this hope was that his last memory in the national team jersey would not be a losing final. Some also hoped that he would play at least until the Copa America. But if you know Messi, you can think of one thing. Messi has always believed that he can always give his best in the national team. Did he have doubts about whether he would be able to give it in the Copa two years later? That became clear in Messi's retirement message. In his retirement message, he said, 'I have completely destroyed myself.'

That is, he has nothing more to give? Did Messi understand that and step down!