🚨✉️ Enzo Fernández with a VERY EMOTIONAL letter dedicated to Leo Messi 🥹
"Leo, that time when you said you were leaving the national team, I was really sad.
"I was just a kid, and I used to compare your age with mine to see if one day I might get the chance to play with you. It sounds silly, but I really did it. I’d think about how many years you might have left, how many years I still needed to reach the first division, and I dreamed that, even if it was only once, we could wear the Argentina shirt together.
"Luckily, you came back.
"And life ended up being much more beautiful than that kid could ever have imagined.
"I didn’t just get to play with you. We shared training camps, the dressing room, conversations, hugs, difficult moments, incredible moments, and we ended up becoming world champions together.
"But above all, I’ll always be grateful for the way you treated me from the moment I arrived. I came with the excitement of sharing the pitch with my idol, and instead I found a person who, from the very first moment, made me feel like one of the group. You always had a word, some advice, a hug, or simply a way of making me feel calm whenever I needed it.
"I’ll never forget that.
"Today, it’s hard for me to imagine the next training camp without you. Walking onto the pitch and not seeing you up front, wearing the No. 10. After so many years of seeing you there, it feels impossible to imagine it any other way.
"How lucky I was, Leo.
"How lucky that kid was, the one who used to do those calculations without knowing if he would ever make it in time.
"Thank you for treating me the way you did, for everything you taught me, and for allowing me to share a part of your story.
"We’re going to miss you so much, captain." 💙🥺
🚨🚨🚨💣 LEO MESSI STATEMENT:
“After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I’m retiring from the national team…
"It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep inside, but I understand that this is the right moment.
"I swear I always gave everything, not only in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything for this shirt, to bring you happiness and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.
"There isn’t much time left, and different chapters are coming to an end. This is one that hurts me a lot. I love, I loved, and I will always love being part of the national team. I gave everything I had, and I don’t have anything more to give.
"Also, there are great young players coming through who deserve to be here.
"Thank you for all the love during these 20 years. I’m going to miss hearing you from the inside. Now I’ll be one of you, always supporting from the outside, in the good times and even more in the bad ones.
"Thank you to my family for always being there and for being with me throughout this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to every coach, teammate and director I had the chance to share it with. I take with me unforgettable memories and moments.
"I leave with peace and pride, knowing that together with my teammates we gave you moments we once dreamed of. It was crazy to experience all of this with you. I love you!
"Thank you God for making me Argentine.
"Vamos Argentina!
"I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my dad, I’m even more convinced of this decision than before.”