Lionel Messi played his final match for Argentina at River Plate's Estadio Monumental against Benin. Messi scored a penalty and helped set up two goals in the win. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo left the Portugal camp after being an unused sub against Norway. Messi said, "It was a huge honor."
We delayed Messi - Ronaldo Watch a touch this time to include Lionel Messi's farewell match in Buenos Aires, and that meant we were also able to include Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible, absurd statement on him leaving the Portugal national team mid-international window. So... what happened in the lives of Messi and Ronaldo over the past ten days?
Football
Messi:
One final match for Argentina. Played out at River Plate's Estadio Monumental, against Benin, Messi did what Messi's done for all these years in an Argentina shirt - make the difference.
Argentina's first goal came off a Messi corner, when he curled it into the box and his old mate Nicolás Otamendi ran onto it and side footed home a superb volley from close range. The second came from a routine pass, which Nico Paz curled home with a delightful finish from range. The third, and last, goal of the game when Messi himself stepped up to the penalty spot and lashed one into the top corner ('oh, he could do that too, eh?' I can hear you asking with a sigh). Towards the end of the match, he also clattered the post with a trademark curler from just inside the box.
Ronaldo:
Ronaldo, meanwhile, played no football over the past ten days after storming out of the Portugal national team camp after being an unused sub in their Nations League group stage match vs Norway.
Life (and Social Media)
Messi
In front of a packed Monumental, with the fans lining the streets leading to the stadium as well, and serenaded by chants of "Messi, Messi", he gave a speech in which he stressed on the importance of the collective, emphasised on the "we" and repeated his love for the national team, his teammates, his fans, and his country.
It started: "It's hard to say; there are so many emotions. The first thing I think about is my father. There is nothing left to do but say thank you, just as I did in my farewell letter. It was a huge honor to wear this jersey all this time, even during the worst moments, I never stopped fighting, never stopped giving my all, never stopped wanting to be there. I swear, I would love to keep coming back forever, because playing for the Argentine national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you. The most beautiful thing."
He would also say, "when we come together and stand united, we are stronger than anyone and can overcome anything. Tough times will surely come and in those difficult moments, we need to stand by the team more than ever. As I always tell them, or as I said during our last talk to achieve major goals, you have to build a strong, united group. There are people who want to see the national team fail, so we shouldn't give them that satisfaction. It is during hard times that the true nature of a group is revealed, and you can overcome difficult situations. Without a strong group, it is very hard to succeed. I can say that ours was an extraordinary group. That is why we achieved everything we did."
"I just want to tell you that I love you and I'll miss you," Messi said. "I'm proud to be Argentine and to have fulfilled this dream with all of you. Thank you so much."
Incredible.
Ronaldo
On Tuesday, Ronaldo dismissed rumours that he was about to retire in a long, wild, clarification statement posted on his social handles. There was an apology for leaving the team mid-camp, but that was preceded by a detailed explanation of how current national team coach Jorge Jesus had broken his word to him. To post the entire statement would be too much for this article, but to get a taste, here are the "notes" Ronaldo had approved for Jesus to say in his press conference:
Incredible.
Words
(On) Messi:
Here's Lionel Scaloni, Argentina head coach on his (now former) captain: "We can put together a great squad with the new guys coming up, but I've never seen that aura in anyone else in my life. That presence he creates won't be there anymore. We'll look for new ways forward, but that feeling will be gone. Having enjoyed the experience of coaching him was incredible, and now we have to carry on without him."
Neymar Jr., meanwhile, was amongst those who paid tribute on social media --
(On) Ronaldo:
"If he wants to, he'll return to the national team," Jorge Jesus told a news conference about Ronaldo. "We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who's going to decide. In my first call-up, I said, 'I need you; I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you.' And now I'm saying the same thing."
ESPN sources, meanwhile, suggest Ronaldo won't return to the national team fold while Jesus is still coach.
Bruno Fernandes, who took up the captain's armband in Ronaldo's absence, said this: "Regarding Cristiano, I had a conversation with him, and what I told him, and what I repeat here, is this - the most important thing is that, regardless of what happens, Cristiano Ronaldo will never cease to be the greatest symbol of our national team, of our football, and of the country, for what he has done not only in Portugal but throughout the world."