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.