Lionel

Buenos Aires, Argentina – In the La Boca neighbourhood, home to the Boca Juniors stadium and a place which lives and breathes football, people are taking turns to be photographed in front of huge murals depicting football legend Lionel Messi holding the 2022 World Cup.

Across the city, monuments have been illuminated in Argentina’s blue and white in honour of the national hero, who has announced his retirement from international football after two decades during which he was transformed from young prodigy to national icon.

On Monday, football clubs around the country were singing songs for Messi and mounting banners showing him holding the World Cup he helped to win for his country. The Argentine Football Association is planning a farewell match to thank him for his extraordinary service.

Messi announced his departure from the national team this week on social media with a handwritten letter that he says he wrote two days after losing the World Cup final against Spain this year. He said he had “nothing else to give”.

“It was a decision that hurt – and still hurts deep down – but I understand that the time has come,” he wrote on Instagram on Monday.

While the news has not come as a total surprise – Messi is 39 years old and has recently lost his father, Jorge Messi, who played a crucial role in his career – fans are nevertheless devastated.

“We are going to continue loving Messi, not just for football but for his humility, for who he is; that’s the most important thing about Messi,” fan Sebastian Luna tells Al Jazeera. “It’s football; it’s over, but Messi will always be in our hearts”.

Some are calling for his number 10 jersey to be retired along with him. Alas, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rules won’t allow it – the team has already tried.

‘Like a bucket of cold water’

Messi played six World Cups for Argentina, and for years, he struggled with constant criticism for failing to win one.

The ⁠former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, who now plays ⁠for Inter Miami, has been repeatedly compared unfavourably with the football legend Diego Maradona – who also helped Argentina win one World Cup in 1986. But that all changed when Argentina won in Qatar, propelling Messi to the status of national symbol for all Argentinians across political and social divides. Now, they have two heroes to celebrate.

“I saw Maradona; I saw many players – Kempes – but Messi is superlative,” says fan Carlos Sciata in Buenos Aires. His retirement is “like a bucket of cold water, but well, it was something that could happen, especially after his father’s death. But we are going to miss him a lot. There is no one else like him,” he adds.

The record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner became his country’s record appearance maker and scorer, with 125 goals in 207 games, ⁠having transformed a complicated relationship with the national team into a story of redemption and triumph.

Tributes have poured in since his announcement on Monday.

Angel Di Maria, who played alongside Messi in their FIFA 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar, said it was “so hard” to know fans will not be able to see the talismanic forward in the sky blue and white colours of Argentina any more.

“I only know that I was born in the right century to be able to see you, enjoy you, and on top of that, to share all these years with you on the national team,” Di Maria declared.

Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s Argentinian teammate at his Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, applauded the record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s “unconditional love” for the country.

“Just thank you, the greatest of all time, thank you for making us so, so happy, you can’t imagine how many smiles you brought!!” he added.

“You are eternal.”

Enormous void

Despite hoping for a final triumph at the World Cup this year, Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the final.

Now, Argentina is preparing for what comes next.

Messi’s departure leaves an enormous void for football fans, and questions are being raised about the future of coach Lionel Scaloni and the team he built around the star player.

Off the pitch, Argentinian football is facing problems of its own, with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) under investigation amid serious allegations of corruption and financial irregularities.

But for today, it is all about saying goodbye at the end of an era. Messi represents a collective source of happiness in a country that has endured economic and political upheaval.

The one man who makes all Argentinians proud summed it up in his farewell message on Monday: “I leave with the ‌peace ‌of mind and pride of having given you – alongside my teammates – moments we once only dreamed of,” he wrote.

Messi’s record from the penalty spot is poor by his sky-high standards, including missing twice during the 2026 World Cup.

Forward Lionel Messi missed yet another penalty and was booked as Inter Miami suffered a 4-1 defeat at Nashville in a top-of-the-table Major League Soccer clash on Saturday.

England’s Sam Surridge and Germany’s Hany Mukhtar scored second-half goals for the hosts, Nashville, in a showdown between the MLS overall leaders.

Argentina and Miami captain Messi was denied from the penalty spot in the first half and was issued a yellow card in the 59th minute but also assisted Miami’s lone goal, scored by Telasco Segovia.

Messi, the 2022 World Cup winner, struck both posts in second-half stoppage time.

Nashville lead MLS with 43 points and a record of 13-2 with four drawn, while Inter Miami are second on 38 points.

Nashville had already knocked Miami out of this year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup in the round of 16.

Defending MLS champions Miami, who had been a league-best 8-1-1 on the road, saw a seven-match undefeated MLS run snapped as Nashville remained unbeaten at home in the MLS campaign.

Honduran defender Andy Najar scored with a header in the 17th minute to give Nashville a 1-0 lead.

Miami had a chance to equalise with a Messi penalty kick in the 23rd minute, but Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake saved his weak effort.

Messi’s recent record from the penalty spot is poor by his sky-high standards, including missing twice at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The visitors netted the equaliser three minutes into first-half stoppage time when Venezuelan Segovia blasted in a right-footed shot off an assist by Messi.

Mukhtar, the 2022 MLS Most Valuable Player, put Nashville back in front in the 49th minute.

Surridge gave Nashville a 3-1 lead, and Mukhtar added his second in the 63rd for extra insurance as the hosts pulled away.

Messi was absent for Miami’s 2-1 loss to Monterrey in the Leagues Cup on Saturday but made himself available to coach Guillermo Hoyos for the must-win game against Mexican side Leon.

It is the first time Miami have been knocked out in the opening phase of the competition since the Leagues Cup was expanded in 2023 – the year Messi arrived and they lifted the trophy.

Jorge was Messi’s agent since he was 14, watching him become one of the sport’s greatest ever players and at his side when he captained his country to World Cup glory in 2022.

Argentina reached the final of this summer’s tournament but were beaten 1-0 by Spain in extra time. Messi wrote that his father urged him “to play in one last World Cup” despite his health deteriorating.

Miami midfielder Yannick Bright, who scored his side’s second goal against Leon, called Messi’s return “incredible”, adding he and other team-mates just wanted to support their captain.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Bright said. “It shows how much he cares. When I saw he was here, all I was thinking about was to give my 150% for him.

“It’s a tough situation. We try to stay close to him and support him as much as we can, but it’s a lot.”

Leon coach Javier Gandolfi said Messi “is human being that is different to the rest”.

He added: “Today he demonstrated once more what he’s made of.”

Lionel Messi missed Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup defeat by Monterrey on Saturday night after the death of his father, as his team-mates led tributes before and during the match.

Jorge Messi died on Saturday at the age of 68 following a long illness.

Jorge, who had also been the Argentina forward’s agent since he was 14, passed away in a hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.

Miami paid tribute to Messi’s father with a minute’s silence before kick-off, while players wore black armbands and Jorge’s name was displayed on the big screens at Nu Stadium.

The club added a black ribbon to their social media profile pictures, and in a statement said: “Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and the entire Messi family.”

Messi’s Argentina team-mate Rodrigo de Paul celebrated scoring the opening goal of the 2-1 defeat by taking off his shirt to reveal Messi’s.

Fans held up handmade signs offering their support to Messi and paying tribute to his father.

Miami striker Luis Suarez, who missed the match through suspension, wrote on Instagram that Jorge will continue to watch over his son “with pride, as he always did”.

Messi’s former club Barcelona observed a moment of silence before their 1-0 friendly win against Nottingham Forest in Udine, Italy.

In 2000, Jorge accompanied his 13-year-old son to Catalonia and played a key role in persuading the club to sign him.

Barcelona thanked Jorge “for his commitment to our club, for entrusting us with the beginnings and the most glorious years of his son Leo’s football career”.

Fans left flags and flowers outside Messi’s childhood home in Rosario, while Argentine giants Boca Juniors and River Plate both held periods of silence before their matches.

The Argentine Football Association said it “deeply mourns with sadness and sorrow the passing of Jorge Messi, father of our captain and emblem, Lionel Messi”.

It added: “From here, we stand in solidarity with the entire family during this difficult time and send the most heartfelt, warm and affectionate embrace.”

Paris St-Germain, for whom Messi played between 2021 and 2023 after leaving Barcelona, said: “The club sends its full support to Leo, his family and loved ones in this painful ordeal. May he rest in peace.”

Football superstar Lionel Messi returned to Rosario, Argentina with his family on Saturday, a day after his father and longtime agent Jorge Messi died aged 68. His cause of death hasn’t been disclosed, though he had suffered a prolonged illness. Jorge helped guide his son’s career from childhood.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Jorge Messi, the father of soccer star and Argentina captain Lionel Messi, died Saturday at a hospital in the central Argentina city of Rosario. He was 68.

The Rosario-based Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys announced his death in a social media post that said he had undergone treatment in recent months for an unspecified illness. The post described him as “the pillar and the person who, with vision, rigor and affection, supported the career of the best player of all time, alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini.”

The South American Football Confederation, CONMEBOL, in a statement also offered its condolences “with respect and affection for Lionel.”

Lionel Messi led Argentina to a runner-up finish in this year’s World Cup. In the team’s first match, against Algeria, he was visibly emotional after scoring the first of his three goals. He said later that he wept for “a reason unrelated to sports.”

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi hugs his father, Jorge Messi, while his mother, Celia Cuccittini, looks on after a playoff match against Nashville SC in November 2025.

(Leonardo Fernandez / Getty Images)

“I went through some difficult, complicated days,” he said. “I am grateful to the delegation, to all my teammates, because they were always by my side wishing me strength so that I would be OK.”

Media reports at the time outraged the Messi family, which days later released a statement confirming that “Jorge is experiencing a health issue,” without specifying the nature of his condition.

“A person’s health and the peace of mind of their loved ones should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media interest,” according to the statement, which also expressed “discomfort at the lack of sensitivity, respect and scruples with which some people have treated a strictly private and family matter.”

Jorge Messi was a chemical technician and worked as a steelworker. He played soccer as a midfielder and reached the youth ranks of Newell’s Old Boys but had to abandon the sport to complete his mandatory military service in Argentina.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi sits on the pitch after losing to Spain in the World Cup final in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

He played a fundamental role in his third son’s career, serving as his agent and managing his business affairs. He was the one who traveled with a young Messi to Barcelona in the early 2000s for the trial that would open the doors to La Masia, the Catalan club’s youth academy. Lionel Messi made his professional debut in 2005 and went on to win eight Ballon d’Or awards. He led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title.

“My dad was always by my side,” Lionel Messi said in a 2007 interview with Radio del Plata. “Sometimes I would lock myself in my room to cry when we arrived in Barcelona, or my dad would do the same without me seeing him, or thinking I didn’t see him. We pretended we were both OK, but we weren’t. My dad even asked me what I wanted to do when we were feeling down, if I wanted to stay or go back, and I wanted to stay, and he stayed with me.”

His father negotiated the contracts with Barça and later his transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, while also managing the use of his famous son’s image rights and his numerous investments in real estate, hotels, and restaurants.

In 2016, father and son were convicted in the Spanish courts on tax evasion charges, but avoided prison because the sentence was less than two years.

Barreiro writes for the Associated Press.

The Inter Miami forward, 39, also became an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and won the Champions League four times with Barcelona, plus 10 La Liga titles in 17 seasons in their first team.

Jorge supported his local team Newell’s Old Boys and Lionel joined the club when he was seven years old.

The family relocated to Spain in February 2001 after Lionel was signed by Barca aged just 13, and although Messi’s mother and three siblings soon moved back to Rosario, his father stayed with him in Barcelona.

“Jorge was the pillar and the person who supported with vision, rigor and affection the career of the greatest player of all time alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini,” Newell’s Old Boys posted on X., external

“His constant companionship and behind-the-scenes leadership were essential in backing every step of Lionel, from his beginnings at Malvinas [youth academy] to the pinnacle of world football glory.

“Thank you for teaching him to love these colours.”

The club added that they “embrace with affection Celia, Lionel, Rodrigo, Matias and Maria Sol, and all their loved ones and close ones in this difficult moment”.

Barcelona thanked Jorge “for his commitment to our club, for entrusting us with the beginnings and the most glorious years of his son Leo’s football career”.

The Argentine Football Association said it “deeply mourns with sadness and sorrow the passing of Jorge Messi, father of our captain and emblem, Lionel Messi”.

It added: “From here, we stand in solidarity with the entire family during this difficult time and send the most heartfelt, warm and affectionate embrace.”

The Messi family responded after an Argentine television presenter falsely reported Jorge had died during Argentina’s opening game at this summer’s World Cup.

The presenter later resigned, while the family expressed their “deep discomfort with the lack of sensitivity, respect and discretion with which some people have treated what is strictly a private family matter”.

For San Francisco fans of Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire, the party at Chase Center ended before it even started.

Earth, Wind & Fire abruptly called off its concert at the NorCal venue on Thursday, notifying fans in a social media statement that the cancellation was “due to a medical emergency involving a member of our band.” A spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department confirmed to The Times that personnel were dispatched at 5:30 p.m. to respond to a medical emergency at Chase Center. One person was transported to a hospital via private ambulance, but the individual’s identity was not disclosed. TMZ reported that the Fire Department responded to a “cardiac incident.”

A representative for Earth, Wind & Fire did not provide additional details. The band said in its post that it has rescheduled Thursday’s show for a later date to be announced soon and that tickets will be valid for the new date. “We sincerely apologize for the unexpected change and appreciate everyone’s understanding,” the band said.

Live Nation announced Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s joint Sing a Song All Night Long tour in January. The tour kicked off in June but quickly hit a snag when Richie also suffered an unspecified health issue while on the road. Richie, 77, postponed a stop at Chicago’s United Center and another show at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, after he brought his first tour stop to an abrupt end.

The Grammy-winning hitmaker of “Hello” and “Say You, Say Me” unexpectedly stopped the concert at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn., after taking a seat on stage multiple times during his performance of “Dancing on the Ceiling” and telling his audience he felt “dizzy,” according to videos shared on social media.

“When you are feeling dizzy, sit your a— down,” he joked, according to video a fan posted to TikTok. “When you are feeling strange about yourself, sit your a— down.”

TMZ reported at the time that the singer-songwriter was hospitalized after the health scare. Paramedics reportedly met the artist backstage and transported him to a nearby hospital out of precaution. In a statement following the incident, Richie thanked fans for their support and informed them, “I’m doing well, and I’m grateful for all of you.”

The Sing a Song All Night Long tour is slated to continue Saturday at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert. Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire are scheduled to play the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Sunday. The tour ends Aug. 14 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.