Argentina Football Association president Claudio Tapia has called Lionel Messi "the captain of our dreams" following the player's decision to retire from international duty.
Messi, who played in six World Cups, won the tournament in Qatar in 2022 and led Argentina to the final in 2026, announced on Monday the end of his international career aged 39.
"The captain of our dreams," Tapia wrote of Messi on Instagram. "That kid, that 'Pulga,' that extraterrestrial who made possible what so often seemed impossible. What more could be asked of you, Leo? Perhaps just one thing: that you be eternal. Because Argentines don't measure things in years; we measure them in eternities. And you are already part of ours...
"You made us believe in magic, Leo. And perhaps that is why it is hard for us to accept that time passes for you, too. We saw you do so many impossible things that we came to believe you were invincible."
Messi is Argentina's all-time leading goal scorer and most capped player with 125 goals in 207 games since making his debut in 2005.
He is the highest-scoring man in South American soccer history. Messi helped Argentina end a 28-year trophy drought by winning the 2021 Copa América, a trophy he lifted again in 2024.
"You are already a legend of this land, of our National Team, and of world football," Tapia wrote. "At this point, speaking of you merely as a player falls short."
Messi described his journey with the Albiceleste as "so beautiful, yet so difficult."
He previously announced his international retirement in 2016, having captained Argentina in three consecutive finals and failing to win any of them, but reversed the decision not long after to eventually lead the country to those twin Copa América triumphs and the World Cup victory.
Tapia praised Messi's resilience.
- Messi's emotional Argentina farewell shows he hasn't forgotten criticism of the past
- Messi's most memorable Argentina moments: World Cup, Copa America, more
- Lionel Messi's Argentina career: the stats, records and how he compares to Cristiano Ronaldo
"Everything that could be said about your football has already been said -- and yet, it is never enough," Tapia wrote. "That is why today I prefer to speak of the person. The teammate. The leader. The professional. The friend. The guy who was always there -- in the good times and, even more so, in the bad.
"The one who endured injustices, picked himself up time and again, and never stopped choosing the same jersey. How many times have you made an Argentine happy? How many people have you helped in silence? How many tears have you turned into embraces? How many kids wanted to be Messi after watching you play?"
Messi said in his Instagram post that he had "nothing left to give," having "given everything he had" to the national team.
Argentina's Football Association in 2023 renamed the national team's headquarters after Messi.
"The training complex bears your name because it is your home," Tapia wrote. "The Argentina National Team jersey is your flag. And our people's love for you is here to stay -- forever."