Sometimes I used to wish I had never been born, but now I’m eternally grateful that I was, because I had the privilege and honour of watching Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccitini, the greatest of all time, the greatest there ever was play this beautiful sport called football. And somehow, that little boy from Rosario who picked up a football and turned it into an art form ended up lighting up my life in ways I could never have imagined. Messi is the reason I started watching football. Before him, football was just a sport to me. Then I watched him play, there was something about watching him with the ball at his feet that made the world feel a little lighter. The way he dribbled, the way he saw passes nobody else could see, the way he could change an entire game almost effortlessly, it was beautiful. He experienced disappointment, criticism, heartbreak and moments when it seemed like everything he had worked for might never happen. In 2016, after the heartbreak of another Copa América final, he retired from international football. And then he came back. And eventually, he won the World Cup. During some of the darkest periods of my life, football gave me something to look forward to, and Messi was at the centre of that. Watching him play could make me forget everything for a little while. He gave me moments of happiness when I desperately needed them. Muchas gracias, Leo. Thank you for every goal, every assist, every dribble, every impossible pass, every celebration, every heartbreak, every comeback, every trophy and every memory. Thank you for making me fall in love with football. Thank you for giving me something that could make even the hardest days feel a little brighter. Thank you for showing me that sometimes the most beautiful things in life are the things we never could have imagined. But to me, you will always be eternal. There will only ever be one Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini. And I will forever be grateful that I was here to watch him play. Te amo Leo🫶