Lionel Messi drops retirement hint

Lionel Messi broke down into tears as he paid an emotional farewell to Argentina supporters in his final competitive home match last night.

The superstar bowed out with an impressive two-goal performance in a 3-0 victory against Venezuela in front of a raucous sellout crowd at the Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires, before hinting he could retire ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Emotions were highly charged during his last official game in his homeland, which he had labelled ‘very, very special’ in the build-up.

Messi couldn’t hold back the tears as the crowd chanted his name during the warm-ups, while his proud family watched on from the stands. He was then joined by his three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, for the walkout and national anthems.

Now 38, Messi, widely viewed as one of the sport’s greatest-ever players, warned that he would only play at the World Cup if his body allowed him to.

‘Same as I said before about the World Cup that I don’t think I’ll play another,’ he told reporters. ‘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, going by how I feel.

‘I’m trying to feel good and, above all, being honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it, but when I don’t, honestly, I don’t have a good time, so I prefer not to be there if I don’t feel good. So we’ll see. I haven’t made a decision about the World Cup.

‘I’ll finish the season, then I’ll have preseason, and there will be six months left.

‘So, we’ll see how I feel. Hopefully, I’ll have a good preseason in 2026 and finish this MLS season well, and then I’ll decide.’

Messi also reflected on his fairytale goodbye after a magical night, adding: ‘This year we had a lot of matches, a lot of sequences of games. Luckily, I was able to play three in a row; it’s day by day, feeling the sensations.

‘It’s clear that today was the last one with points at stake here, but day by day I try to feel good and, above all, be honest with myself. If I feel good, I enjoy it.

‘If I feel bad, I’d rather not be here. A lot of things happened, being able to finish this way here was what I always dreamed of.

‘Being able to celebrate with my people… for many years I received a lot of affection at Barcelona, ​​and my dream was to also have it here, in my country, with my people. For many years, many things were said, but I’m left with all the good we did.’

Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, posted a glowing tribute on Instagram. She wrote: ‘Proud of you, every step you take and everything you built with love and effort.

‘How lucky are we to be with you on this path!!! We love you.’