Messi has bid farewell, but can he truly leave our hearts?

Today, the world is heavy-hearted. The very air seems to echo this melancholy. There are so many divides between people—language, barbed-wire borders, and maps. Yet, the source of this shared sadness today is singular: Messi has bid farewell.
Rarely does the departure of a single footballer leave so many people across the globe feeling so downcast. How did Messi achieve the impossible? The answer is perhaps quite simple—he became an integral part of our lives.
For some, he is intertwined with the magic of his footwork during their adolescence; for others, with their youth, their friendships, or their sleepless nights. Perhaps the happiest night of someone’s life was the night of a Messi match. Conversely, a defeat of his became a cause for sorrow, a topic of debate, or the subject of all-night discussions with friends.
Countless nights were spent with Messi—applauding and cheering at the magic of his feet. I watched matches even with exams the next day; I stayed up late even with morning classes. I would wake up bleary-eyed and discuss the previous night’s game with a friend.
Back then, it never crossed my mind that one day, all of this would become merely a memory.
A morning would eventually come when, sitting down to write about Messi’s farewell, those old days would come flooding back. One feels a deep urge to say, "I won't let you go."
Messi of Barcelona: A Name Synonymous with Wonder
Watching Messi play for Barcelona was an experience filled with awe. The moment the ball touched his feet, one felt that something extraordinary was about to happen. What greater sense of fulfillment could a player ask for than this eager anticipation from the spectators?
Messi is extraordinary. To me, he is the poet of football.
His playing style was impossibly, breathtakingly beautiful. When the ball was at his left foot, even three defenders didn't seem like enough to stop him. While the beauty of his goals is undeniable, there were times when a single pass of his seemed even more beautiful than a goal itself.
Watching him play, football never seemed like a difficult game. Instead, it appeared so simple: take the ball at your feet, dribble past a few opponents, and slot it into the net. My bond with Argentina's Messi was one of deep emotional attachment.
My connection with Argentina's Messi is something unique; it is a blend of admiration and a deep, heartfelt bond.
This is because his journey was not always a happy one. He had to leave the pitch after losing finals. He had to endure criticism. I even heard him speak of retiring from the national team at one point.
Then came the 2021 Copa América.
Argentina won the final against Brazil. I still remember the smile on Messi's face. It felt as though a long, years-long wait had finally come to an end.
But the greatest wait of all was still to come.
It seemed that only by lifting the World Cup trophy would his journey find true fulfillment.
That night in Qatar
Even today, the memory of the 2022 World Cup stirs a unique emotion deep within me.
A loss to Saudi Arabia in the very first match. Despair all around. It felt as if the old story was repeating itself—would we have to return empty-handed after coming so close again?
But with every match, it became clear: Messi wasn't just playing a tournament; he was moving toward the final chapter of his life's unfinished story.
Then came the final.
Argentina versus France.
Can that night ever be forgotten?
Drama after drama, goal after goal, wave after wave of excitement. Finally, the penalty shootout. And then, the World Cup—his dream—was in Messi's hands.
Witnessing that scene, it felt as though the greatest void in Messi's story had finally been filled.
Messi has bid farewell, but has he truly left?
Today, the hero of that fairy-tale story has said goodbye to football.
We will no longer see him on the World Cup stage in the Argentina jersey. Before a match begins, the thought "What will Messi do?" won't cross my mind anymore. That strange sense of anticipation that arose the moment the ball touched his feet—that, too, will be gone.
But is Messi really leaving?
Won't I sit down on some quiet night to watch old matches on YouTube? Won't I pause in my tracks if I suddenly come across a clip of one of his goals in a social media reel?
I certainly will. Is Messi’s greatest achievement merely the trophies he has won? It seems not.
Perhaps his greatest achievement is that he has managed to belong to everyone. People may argue otherwise, but it is impossible not to admire the way Messi plays.
"Play one more match, Messi."
Yes, Messi has truly bid farewell today.
In his farewell speech, he said, "I wish I could stay here forever, but I feel this is the right time to step aside."
Yet, for some reason, my heart refuses to accept this reality.
I feel like calling out—stay a little longer. Play one more match. Step onto the field in the Argentina jersey once more. Take the ball on your left foot. Dribble past a few defenders and score a goal.
We want to stay up late for many more nights.
We want to talk about you. We want to debate. We want to shout out—
Messi, Messi, Messi.
We want to wait until the very last minute of the match. We want to say—
Messi is there; something magical is bound to happen.
Time waits for no one, and neither did Messi.
Time is a harsh judge. It cannot be manipulated or held back; it simply flows on.
And so, no matter how much we wish, we cannot hold onto anyone forever.
One day, the poet must lay down the pen. The artist must silence the melody. The athlete must hang up the jersey.
Messi, too, has done so.
But will the love for him fade away?
It will not.
He will remain—in our hearts, in the quiet moments, in the silence.
In the words of Rabindranath—
"I will not let you go. Yet, with every defeat,
The heart whispers: 'Can the one I love
Ever truly drift away from me?'"

Messi may have left the field.
But where could he possibly go from our adolescence, our youth, our sleepless nights, our friendships, our celebrations, and our countless memories?
Messi, this is not a farewell—you will remain with us.