Photo caption: Jose Mourinho. (Photo by Valter Gouveia / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)
Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has hailed Lionel Messi as one of the greatest players of his generation following the Argentine’s retirement from international football.
“There are no words to describe his quality as a player,” Mourinho said on Thursday in a news conference,
“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.
“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.
Messi, 39, announced his retirement from the Argentina national team on August 31, ending a 21-year international career.
The decision came seven weeks after Argentina’s 1–0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, where Messi captained his side as they fell short of retaining the title they won in 2022.
Messi had led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and also won the Copa América in 2021 and 2024. He finished his international career as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and leading goalscorer, with 207 caps and 125 goals.
The 2026 tournament was Messi’s sixth World Cup, having made his Argentina debut in 2005.
Although he has retired from international football, Messi has not ended his playing career.
He remains with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, prompting Mourinho to joke that he will have to watch MLS matches to enjoy the final years of the Argentine superstar’s club career.
The Argentine Football Association has announced that domestic matches this weekend will pause in the 10th minute for a minute of applause in honour of Messi, a tribute linked to his iconic No. 10 shirt.
