By Adegboyega Adeleye
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has paid tribute to Lionel Messi following the Argentina captain’s retirement from international football, describing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as a player the football world will miss.
Messi, 39, announced his retirement from the Argentina national team on Monday, bringing an end to his international career after leading the country to the 2022 World Cup title and the 2026 World Cup final. He remains a player for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.
Mourinho, speaking at his press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s LaLiga clash with Real Betis on Thursday, said there were no words to adequately describe Messi’s quality.
“There are no words to describe his quality as a player,” Mourinho said.
“With what he did at the World Cup, at 39 years old … He’s a player we’ll miss. We’ll have to watch some MLS games to enjoy his last years, I don’t know if it will be a season, or seasons.”
The Portuguese coach added that Messi belonged to a generation of players whose absence would always be felt.
“He’s one of those players who, as I said the other day, you always miss. This [player], for our generation, over these last two decades, we all know what he represents,” he said.
Mourinho and Messi have a long history of facing each other, particularly during the Portuguese manager’s first spell at Real Madrid, when Messi was the star of Barcelona during one of the fiercest periods of the El Clasico rivalry.
Mourinho had also responded directly to Messi’s retirement announcement, congratulating the Argentine on what he described as a “brilliant and unforgettable” international career and saying the next Copa America and World Cup would not be the same without him.
Messi leaves international football as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 matches. He won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024 and the 2022 World Cup before reaching the 2026 final, where Argentina lost to Spain.
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