Lionel Messi’s teammate at both club and international level, Rodrigo De Paul, has thanked the former Argentina international following the announcement of his retirement from international football.
He thanked his former captain for his unconditional love for Argentina.
Recall that former Manchester United winger, Angel Di Maria had hailed Messi for his decision to represent Argentina despite having the option to play for Spain, Brazil or Italy due to his heritage.
De Paul, who is Messi’s club teammate at Inter Miami, waxed lyrical about the football legend after the latter announced his retirement on Monday.
De Paul expressed his gratitude to Messi for his exemplary leadership and resilience on the field, asserting that he will remain “immortal forever” in the annals of football history.
He said, “Your unconditional love for our country, and your internal battles so that you never surrender, and your strength to always endure injustice, and your leadership and great humanity with every player who entered the national team headquarters to feel at ease, and your care and beautiful details with every member of our national team…
“I can only say thank you; you are the greatest in history. Thank you for bringing us immense joy; you cannot fathom the number of smiles you have created on our faces!! You are immortal forever.”
Lionel Messi made his first appearance for the Argentina national team in 2005 at the age of 18.
Since then, the Inter Miami star has solidified his status as arguably the greatest player of all time, amassing 125 goals and 68 assists in 207 matches across all competitions for his country.