A Russian football fan declared his love for Lionel Messi in an interview with Argentine television outside the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, where the 39-year-old forward played his final match for the Argentina national team.
Video of the interaction was reported by the Russian sports channel Mash na sporte on Telegram. Speaking outside the stadium, the supporter stated that all of his friends and the whole of Russia loved Messi, before revealing a tattoo of the player on his right shoulder that he had gotten after Argentina won the 2022 World Cup.
Messi featured in the farewell match for the Argentina national team against Benin. The veteran forward scored in the 71st minute of the encounter, marking his 126th career goal for his country.
The fixture followed Messi's announcement on August 31 that he was stepping down from the national team. At the time of his announcement, the player described the decision to bring his international career to an end as a painful one.
A decorated international career
Messi had represented the Argentina national team since 2005, spending more than two decades in international football. During his time with the national side, he led his country to victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and won two Copa America titles.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history, Messi spent the majority of his club career with Spanish side Barcelona before moving to French club Paris Saint-Germain and later joining Major League Soccer team Inter Miami in the United States.
His victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar capped years of international service for Argentina. The tournament concluded with Argentina winning the global title, while the Copa America remains South America's premier international competition for national teams.
Farewell match venue in Buenos Aires
The farewell match took place at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. The venue, officially named the Estadio Mas Monumental, is the largest stadium in South America and serves as the primary home ground for both the Argentina national team and domestic club River Plate.
Argentina's opponent for the game, Benin, is a nation in West Africa whose national football team is nicknamed the Cheetahs and competes in tournaments organized by the Confederation of African Football.
The footage of the fan was published online by Mash na sporte, a specialized sports branch of the digital news publisher Mash, which operates extensively across the Telegram messaging platform in Russia.
