olivia

Reposted by @olivia

tiwfootball@tiwfootball

and with that, after 209 appearances and 126 goals, the greatest international career comes to an end. thank you leo for helping me fall in love with football, for your everlasting contribution to the history of this sport, for showcasing footballing art in its most expressive form, and for the countless memories and joy you’ve given to your fellow argentinians as well as millions across the globe. lionel messi, forever the greatest. 🙌

Reposted by @olivia

Sorry but this is really fucking funny

Reposted by @olivia

as the years passed ever since i got to know this superstar of a footballer, i knew a day like this would come eventually but i was never ready for it. now, that day has actually come, i definitely realized i never was actually ready for it. and here we are. where do i even begin? in the 2010s when i was still growing up, i never really had the chance of watching any matches of club football and my only real outlets where i could watch football were either the world cup, the free matches they showed or youtube. through all this, i developed my love for this magician and for me, he definitely is the greatest player of all time. in the 2014 world cup, i was rooting for germany and was very happy we won, yet my heart was broken to see him lose in the final. two years later, when he retired for the first time, i couldn't believe the headlines and they made me so sad. but i'm very, very glad he eventually decided to return because what developed after was the most beautiful era of his career yet. 2 copa americas, 1 finalissima and most importantly, the world cup in 2022, all won in the span of just 4 years which is really impressive. sadly, in 2026, we couldn't see him win his second world cup, yet the fact that he carried argentina so far to the final was already honestly enough. not many players can do that, especially at his age. as i sit here while writing this review and listening to messi's farewell words, i truly realize that this beautiful era of football is slowly ending and we will eventually see his full retirement soon in a few years and it breaks my heart. we will never see such a skillful, amazing player ever again. yet, we should appreciate what the future has to offer in this new era of football that is already emerging & with the new players that have superstar potential as well. so, with all this, gracias leo. you truly have influenced a new generation of footballers internationally and will permanently leave a beautiful mark on this sport.

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

sensitive topic 😭😭😭 don’t mention this shit around me for the next 2 centuries

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

cinemashes@cinemashes

Messi, muchas gracias por todo. Ever since I laid my eyes on you on July 9, 2014, during the 2014 World Cup match against the Netherlands, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I never really came from a football family, but I fell in love with the way you moved with the ball, so elegantly, so effortlessly, and so out of this world. At the time, I happened to be vacationing in the Dominican Republic, and I remember hearing the Argentine supporters singing and chanting. There was something about that atmosphere that captivated me. Instantly, I fell in love with football, and I decided I would follow you throughout your career. After the World Cup ended, I started supporting Barcelona. And just three years later, I got to see you play in person during the 2017 El Clásico friendly against Real Madrid here in Miami. I still remember what it felt like to see you standing on that pitch in front of me, the player I had spent years watching on a screen was suddenly right there. Since that day in 2014, so much has happened. I watched you experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I watched you win everything there was to win, and I watched you endure moments when it seemed like the one thing you wanted most was always just out of reach. But you never stopped. And then came 2022. I don’t think I will ever be able to properly put into words what it felt like watching you lift the World Cup. After everything you had experienced with Argentina, seeing you finally become a world champion felt incredibly personal, even for those of us watching from thousands of miles away. You gave me memories I will carry for the rest of my life. You made me fall in love with football. You introduced me to Barcelona, to Argentina, to the beauty of this sport, and to a culture and community I may have never discovered otherwise.

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

وكتمْتُ آلام الحنين فأفصحَتْ عيني وأنطقها الفؤادُ بأدمعي الكلُّ يسمع في الوداع حنيننا لكنّ أصدقه الذي لم يُسمعِ ورجوتُ عيني أن تكفّ دموعها ‏يومَ الوداعِ نشدتُها لاتدمعي ‏أغمضتُها كي لاتفيضَ فأمطرت ‏ايقنتُ أنّي لستُ أملك مدمَعي ‏ورأيتُ حلماً أنني ودَّعْتُهم ‏فبكيتُ مِن ألم الحنين وهُم معي ‏مُرٌ عليَّ بأن أُودّعَ زائرًا ‏كيفَ الذين حملتُهُم في أضلُعي ؟!

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

guadalajara@guadalajara

it is a pretty strange feeling, watching yourself outgrow the careers and passion of the people you've seen your entire life, who were so revered. i don't really want to pretend like messi has had some big indelible mark on my life; he honestly hasn't, i've only seriously followed this sport after the world cup. but i've constantly grown up seeing his name and image; my brother was a culer during prime MSN era, and even without that i've never heard of football without his name. so i guess it's ridiculous to try to write something when i've personally never lived and breathed the highs of his career, or felt the hope and passion for the future that so many kids across the world and especially in argentina have felt. and if you're reading this, you're probably thinking the same, and i'm thinking the same, and i'm still here writing, and i'm going to regret writing this, probably. still, you can't deny the mark he's left on this sport, or the amount of kids who watched him and felt some sort of pride in doing so, and how messi went into this sport just like them, naive and hopeful, and came out as this superstar who forever changed the modern legacy of the country he worked so hard to represent. how he's really just the embodiment of someone with endless passion who kept working, and fighting, and celebrating and grieving and all that. the game's over now and it still really hasn't hit for me that he's done, at least with the bigger stage of his career. i don't think it'll ever hit, i think that's the thing about someone like messi. you just don't ever expect him to put his shield down. and he couldn't have a glorious finish the way you'd expect him to, but still ended it off with a lifetime of accomplishments. you could see this in the way the other players, the entire stadium, the *world* treated him. the end couldn't be more tragic but he still went out with the world's love on his arm, and i hope he can feel how loved and admired he is, by the whole world.

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

To the man that made me love this sport. To the man I have idolized since my first ever Barca game. Thank you for everything you have done for us and more importantly to the sport of football. I truly couldn’t imagine a day without watching you on my screen since I first watched you. Until it became a reality. I want to honor you and everything you have done to the world. You’ve provided me light in my darkest of days, you have shown me what determination, dedication and sheer will looks like in a person. No matter the size, no matter the disadvantages, the adversity. You’ve helped me see that it is possible to overcome it all. You showed not only the world, but showed yourself in that you can become the greatest of all lifetimes. You’ve been a great inspiration and a great part of my childhood. You’ve helped me grow and in a way feel like you’ve raised me with your love of football. It’s been an honor to see you play and watch you evolve throughout your career. You’ve helped inspire multiple generations to become great, to have sheer will, and have the capacity to overcome all adversity. Lionel Andres Messi, I want to thank you for everything you’ve accomplished and done for the entire world. May I wish you nothing but blessings and success in the rest of your career. Thank you, Lionel Andres Messi.

Reposted by @olivia

Genuinely I don’t even know what to say. I don’t want to be corny or anything but damn. I’m in denial and I bet this isn’t even going to hit me until a random night. What makes this match worse is the amount of nostalgia I have been feeling these past few weeks, and knowing how much football takes a part of that. I don’t ever think I got formally introduced to Messi. My first major memory of watching football was during the 2014 wc (I did watch before this dw). I still vividly recall watching his matches and how Argentina “took revenge” for Mexico over the Netherlands. Ofc, I also remember watching him lose that final. During and after that wc, Argentina went to become my “backup national team” behind Mexico until 2022 (when they both played in the group stage). Dont even get me started on when he left Barca, I could literally tell u everything about how that day went. Anyways, I could and would write so much more but I just can’t. Sometimes I’ll talk to my younger cousins and it’ll upset me to know that they never saw the prime versions of so many greats, and how they don’t even know who some of them were. It’s sad to know that some people are never going to experience seeing Messi play for Argentina live. Thank you Messi, for being a part of me and my childhood 🫶

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

the last dance. el último tango. messi’s last match with argentina. a monumental and emotional moment. the amount of love and influence one player can have on an entire country says everything. his dream was to win a trophy with his country, and he did it. he’s won it all and given argentina memories that will last forever. thank you, leo, for your years of passion and everything you’ve given to your country and your people. he’ll forever be the goat. the #10 will always be legendary. gracias por todo, leo. 🇦🇷🐐

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

tiagoquintallover20@tiagoquintallover20

Reposted by @olivia

the little boy from rosario

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

Y me siento solo con mi voz No descubro cómo sucedió Perder tu amor Todo lo que nunca más veré Cómo se me anuda el corazón ¿Cómo volver? Si tuviera la oportunidad En aquel minuto reparar De no caer Si quedaran rastros a seguir Una huella tenue de ese abril Perdiéndose En la sombra del ayer

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

caramelchaitea@caramelchaitea

Reposted by @olivia

A decade ago, I randomly decided to watch a football game and somehow landed on an El Clásico. I didn’t know much about football but even little me could recognize the outrageous talent I was watching. I knew I was watching someone special without imagining how much that moment would mean to me. I didn't need trophies to convince me of your worth. I could just see it. Lionel Messi, you are the reason I fell in love with football. You made me fall in love with Barça and made me care about Argentina too. I never thought I’d support a club and national team I have no relation with so passionately but you made both feel like a part of me. Over the years you took us on this incredible journey. I still go back and watch games from your earlier years. I’ve cried watching you give everything and still fall short and smiled through tears when you finally won what you deserved. Every win felt strangely personal, like I was celebrating something I had fought for too. I remember crying when you won in 2022. Who would've thought I could care this much? THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER MESSI. Tonight I’m crying because I can’t imagine football without you but I’m proud too. You conquered it all and gave us memories we’ll never forget. Knowing you get to end your career having achieved everything makes it easier to let go. My father used to tell me stories of watching Maradona. Someday I’ll tell my kids “I WATCHED PRIME MESSI!" I’ll tell them how lucky I was to witness it. I just hope you know what you’ve given us. Every fan who truly understands this sport and every kid wearing your number 10 knows your worth. You gave millions of us joy. You made us believe, cry, laugh, scream and fall in love with this sport. It’s an honor to have lived in the same era as you. Thank you, Leo. It’s painful to let go but it was a privilege watching you. There will never be another you. YOU ARE THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME🐐🩵💙❤️

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

Lionel Messi, Where do I even begin? I don't think I’ll ever know how to properly put into words what you mean to me. I always knew this day would come, but I’ve been dreading it for so long. For many years, you weren’t just a player for me. You were a part of my childhood and my happiest football moments. You are the reason I fell in love with this game, every touch, every pass, and every goal was mesmerizing to watch. I stood by you when the whole world was agaiant you when everyone mocked you and called you an international failure. I felt your pain but I, always belived in you, and you did what the greatest of all time would do you came back conquered the world, and proved them all wrong. And just how I was there for you, you were silently there for me. During the lowest point of my life, when it got heavy, your matches were my escape. You gave me something to look forward every week a reason to smile, and a reason of hope. I will never forget the happiest day of my life: December 18, 2022, the day you conquered the world, with all the thrill, anxiety, and adrenaline, but most importantly, happiness. And this 2026 World Cup campaign wow, just wow. At 39 years old, you proved once again your undisputed greatness. In my eyes, you were the player of the tournament, no doubt. As a Barcelona fan, before the final, I told myself I would be fine with either team winning, but deep down in my heart, I knew I only wanted you, Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini. But it wasn’t meant to be. As I am sitting here writing this while crying, I’m reminiscing about all the moments, the good and the bad. I just can’t help how much this pains me. I wish you would play forever but thats just not possible. I will never forget you, mi capitán. There will never be anyone that will ever reach your level. Mi ídolo, gracias por todo y más siempre♾️🐐🇦🇷

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

yeah 😂😂😂😂 im fine 😂😂😂 the end of an era 😂😂 😂 this doesn’t feel real 😂😂😂😂 oh wow 😂😂😂😂 the pit in my stomach 😂😂😂😂 why is the screen blurry 😂😂 messi thank you for everything omfg 😭😭🫶🏼🫶🏼🐐🐐

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

the greatest joys of our lives are often not appreciated until it’s all in the past. growing up in a south american football household, messi was always a name spoken within our conversations. whether in a positive or negative light, his name was always somewhere to be found. “did you see what messi did?” “i can’t believe that messi guy.” “i’ve always liked messi.” “i’ve always hated messi” no matter what it was, there was always an opinion. there was never one thing you could never deny though, his impact. without realizing it, i’ve seen the highs and lows with messi’s career with argentina. whether it was the sadness of 2014 and 2016 or the joy of 2022 and 2024. i was watching every game without realizing i was watching a one of a kind player grace the stage. today there is a stadium filled with thousands of people crying and shouting his name. but at one point in time, it was almost like the failures of that team grew thousands of people to hate the man. i could go on and on about his accomplishments that broke this and the crazy amount of records he’s broken but one thing i just want to highlight is his ability to make people believe. believe in your team. believe in your country. believe in yourself. despite all the odds life throws at you or the situations you are put in after it seems like the world tries to bring you down, you can truly make it. you can live your dreams and so so much more. this may be the end to his time in argentina but he will forever live in the history of the team. let this not be a sad ending but a celebration of all the good things that have happened. gracias leo. 🫶

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

leo, four years ago, on december eighteenth, you moved me to tears in an argentina jersey for the first time. three months ago you did it again, and for the final time you’re doing it now. your love for both your country and the beautiful game shone radiantly through each and every international cap. i wish i could have started watching you sooner, in your prime, but i am so fortunate to have gotten to catch glimpses of it in these final years. an astounding testament to your skill and longevity. it’s hard to condense everything i want to say. in essence: the thought of a world cup without you is unconscionable. these past two decades you’ve led argentina to many victories, having to bear the brunt of every failure along the way. you can leave the world stage now knowing you’ve already conquered it. you brought joy to hundreds of millions on it. you’ll continue to do so off of it. my heart hurts when i think about how differently things could have gone this summer, but no one can ever say you didn’t give it everything you had. you defied all odds and expectations. there are no regrets. all we can do, all we have ever been able to do, is look forward. and i swear to god i’ll sit through every dogshit mls game ten times over for as long as you’re willing to play there. i often have this thought, resentful and naïve and selfish as it is, that one lifetime isn’t enough for you—for me, rather. i would give anything to watch you for another hundred years, another twenty-five world cups and copa américas. alas, while yours is a once-in-a-lifetime story, all stories must come to an end. isn’t that the whole appeal? as the sun sets upon a historic career, its light reflects off every cup and medal you’ve won for la albiceleste. what shines even brighter, even warmer, is the love of generations who were blessed with your football. gracias por todo, capitán, ídolo. as was once said four years ago, on december eighteenth, you have always been the point of difference. 🐐👑

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

i’m not quite sure where to begin. i’m not a barcelona fan, im not argentinian yet i still felt a lump in my throat watching this match. it’s almost a strange alien feeling to care so much about a player you never saw play for your team but that just speaks to how far big his legacy is. before i knew any other players, i knew about messi, i didn’t watch him at his peak but i heard the stories. again another way to illustrate the impact that he’s had on this sport. he’ll forever live on not just in the minds of people who watched him live, watched him for their club or country, but everyone who ever watched him play the sport that we all love. a standing ovation for the greatest player of all time. 🩵🤍

Reposted by @olivia

corinthians@corinthians

nem parece verdade que nn vamos mais ver o maior de todos com a camiseta da seleção 😭 GRACIAS MESSI FOI UMA HONRA TE ASSISTIR

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

The first time I watched Lionel Messi play for Barcalona I was in 2014. I was around three or four at my cousins house while my mama and papa were out working. I remember being infatuated with him as a player. Everyone around me knew he was great but it was something I had to see. From than one I kept watching and watching him. Another first for me was watching him lose.. well not exactly first — I had an EMOTIONAL wc 2014 but I wasn’t exactly old enough to fully understand that. I think that 3-0 loss to Juve in the 16/17 showed me his first great loss to me. And obviously this isn’t an international game, but this had me sobbing. It’s like believing something would never break but than it ending up just as fragile as everything else is in life. This changed my feeling towards Messi for little me, it showed me to be happy and proud of him for playing so hard, but also sad for him when it isn’t exactly his time. This is also how I felt watching his 2018 wc loss. (Horrible year for little me with El Tri aswell!!!) Football is the most constant factor in my life. It’s been there for me through every up and down I’ve faced. Football brings my family together, football makes my dad happy, football cooled me down whenever I had fears about my livelihood. The biggest most constant thing in football for me is Lionel Messi. Messi raised what my idea of football was. Messi showed me what talent looked like. Messi showed me that poor Hispanic kids like us can do great things in our lives. He showed me many things that I don’t think most athletes can do. But there’s other constants in my life; family, friends, and sadder stuff obviously. But this lies into Messi as well. My papa is the biggest fanboy I know, i could bet that loves Messi more than 1/3 of this app I bet. Nothing made me happier growing up than watching Barca/Tigres with my family when ever we could. It’s the little things in life; such as sports, that makes people more connected with one another. (1/2)

Player of the match

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Reposted by @olivia

olise missing mbappe

Player of the match

Michael Olise

France

Nations League

Czechia0 - 2England

Reposted by @olivia

garethbale@garethbale

☆☆☆☆☆★★★★★1w ago

Honestly despite 2 goals being scored,this game wasn't very high intensity,England could've very well scored more goals against a 10 men Czechia but Kovař was absolutely class in the last 20 or so minutes.Pavel Šulc's red card was valid,it might have been a bit harsh but not only he hadn't even touched the ball but it also had 100% intend to hurt Anderson,him getting sent off pretty much killed Czechia's attacking options.In rest,Gordon was very good,constantly making runs,link-up play and also good positioning for his goal(praise to Trent for that assist) and even Kane was decent,just did his job as a striker and scored,Saka tho kinda disappointed me since he didn't have much impact this game and when he actually had the ball,he was very wasteful,instead of thinking it through,he was shooting it too quick.England was definitely weaker this match since Bellingham didn't start and I feel like he's the heart of this team,he's always there when you least expect him and he's always a goal threat.I expected Morgan Rogers to be more pivotal this game despite going against a weak opposition but disappointing game from him aswell.Lastly in the midfield,Myles Lewis-Skelly and Anderson pivot did a good job helping the defence keep a cleansheet. To also talk about England's defence,they were just decent,I liked how Lewis Hall was helping Gordon to progress the ball,Guehi and Chalobah kept their composure,Trent had so much creativity with some class passes and even Trafford was decent,nothing too much to say to them but I'll give them the credit.Czechia tho we're pretty much dominated and clearly none of their players shined,bad decision from Šulc to do such an aggressive tackle and Czechia didn't have many goalscoring chances only because of him but nothing too much on them since they had to play in 10 men most of the game.My MOTM probably goes to Anthony Gordon,was just overall good on his plank and I liked him.

Player of the match

Anthony Gordon

England

Reposted by @olivia

when your only good player decides to bitch slap someone in the middle of the game RIGHT in front of the ref and get ejected