GOATbye: Leo blows whistle on Messimerising international career

File Pic - Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the trophy after winning the World Cup in 2022. (AP/PTI Photo)It was morning in Miami and late evening in India as Lionel Messi’s announcement through an Instagram post flooded social media. Having seen him light up our lives for two decades, the world suddenly felt strangely empty, unfamiliar. His great rival Cristiano Ronaldo must feel so lonely today.“After all this time since the (2026 World Cup) final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone I’m retiring from the national team…”The post showed three handwritten pages in Spanish, in which the Argentina captain confirmed he is retiring from the Albiceleste.As a footnote, he added: “I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my da