Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho put the fierce club rivalry aside to congratulate Barcelona great Lionel Messi following his retirement from international football. During his first spell at Real Madrid, Mourinho had to devise specific plans to counter Messi, who went on to become Barcelona's all-time leading goalscorer and one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
Messi made 207 appearances for Argentina and retired as the country's all-time leading scorer with 125 goals, including 21 at the World Cup. His international journey was a roller-coaster ride, filled with heartbreaks and setbacks before he finally got his hands on the biggest prizes. Winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup and multiple Copa America titles eventually gave Messi the international success he had been chasing for years and, in many ways, completed his football story.
Mourinho, who spent years on the opposite side of the El Clasico rivalry, acknowledged the lasting impact Messi had on international football. Commenting on Messi's retirement post, he wrote: “Congratulations on a brilliant and unforgettable international career. The next Copa America and the next World Cup won't be the same.”
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Mourinho himself admitted in his documentary just how difficult it was to prepare for Messi during his Real Madrid days. The Portuguese manager revealed that stopping the Argentine became one of his biggest challenges, forcing him to come up with a different approach instead of trying to beat Barcelona at their own game.
{{/usCountry}}Mourinho himself admitted in his documentary just how difficult it was to prepare for Messi during his Real Madrid days. The Portuguese manager revealed that stopping the Argentine became one of his biggest challenges, forcing him to come up with a different approach instead of trying to beat Barcelona at their own game.
{{/usCountry}}Mourinho recalled the nightmare of trying to find a way to contain Messi, knowing that Real Madrid could not simply mirror Barcelona's style and expect to come out on top.
Mourinho added: “I was having a nightmare. ‘What can we do to stop him?’ From the first [El Clasico] game, I knew that we couldn’t be better than them doing the same as they do. To beat them, we had to be different both on and off the pitch. We were football enemies in the sense we fought for the same cup, the same league, the same Champions League. I think it was a good thing.”
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“I always gave it my all”
Meanwhile, Messi used his retirement note to address the doubts surrounding his commitment to Argentina, making it clear that regardless of the results or the criticism he faced, he had always given everything for the national team and wanted to make his country proud
"I swear to you that I always gave it my all - not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too," Messi wrote.
"I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football."
In a long social-media post, Messi explained he wrote his retirement letter on July 21 - two days after the World Cup final in which he struggled to make an impact - but waited to publish it because his father was facing health issues that eventually claimed his life.