(apparently i didnt log this?) its over, on a random ass tuesday in october in a random against against benin. to be honest, when i was younger i used to be one of those obnoxious “sportsball” people. my first introduction to the sport was the “ronaldo or messi” debate, i picked you— messi in spite of my cousins. i didnt know very much then, but that choice is one that ive stuck by years to come. throughout your time bearing the argentina shirt, you experienced so much abuse and criticism from the 2014 final loss against germany and the b2b copa america losses. i hated hearing people dismissing your achievments, saying that you can only shine w/ xavi and iniesta in the camp nou. i was young and didnt fully understand the pressure put on you during those times but still i was there, being a keyboard warrior using your 2008 olympic gold medal as defense against those who doubted your greatness. but in truth, i wanted a copa— just one to shut those idiots up. but recently, ill admit gotten greedy since 2022. the spain vs argentina final i was crying because you couldnt win b2b world cups + lost the golden ball to rodri which couldve given you the 9th ballon d’or. i was stupid to only think about the trophies instead of the journey and the ticking time that you had left with the national team. you may have had my heart in my ass making me doing laps around the living room. and for a certified docter, you give me the worst heart palpitations ever. but from those stressful moments, i got to experience you producing your magic live. youve given me more so much than what i wanted, a world cup and two copas. im glad to live a timeline where i can fully relish the fantastic carryjobs, performances, remontadas, and passion you put up that left players in their prime playing in europe on their asses bamboozled. as sappy and emotional as is, i cant thank you enough. thank you for introducing me to the beautiful game. you da goat. 🥹