Beckham, Mourinho and teammates pay tribute after Messi retires from international football
Sir David Beckham and Jose Mourinho paid tribute on social media after Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football, according to coverage published on 1 September 2026. Beckham posted on Instagram and Mourinho commented on Messi’s retirement post on Instagram.
Beckham, a former England captain and co-owner of Messi's club Inter Miami, praised Messi following the announcement that the 39-year-old had ended his international career. Messi finished with 125 goals in 207 games for Argentina and captained the side to World Cup victory in 2022, reached the final again in 2026, and won Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024. On Instagram Beckham wrote: "This is the moment we get to look back on and realize how grateful we were to witness the greatness of a young kid with a dream," Beckham said on Instagram. "Leo, you delivered the greatest gift to your country and, for that, your legacy will live forever. Congratulations on all you achieved for Argentina."
Mourinho, who frequently managed against Messi during his first stint at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, added a reaction to Messi’s retirement post on Instagram. The period when Mourinho first faced Messi coincided with Messi winning the Ballon d'Or three years in a row (2010-2012), as noted in the coverage.
Angel di Maria, who played alongside Messi at Paris St-Germain and with him for Argentina, called him "the greatest of all time" and reflected on sharing years in the national team: "All I know is that I was born in the right century to be able to witness you play, relish your performances and, on top of that, share all those years with you in the national team," he added. The coverage also records that Di Maria and Messi both scored in the 2022 World Cup final.
Fellow World Cup-winning team-mate and former Spurs defender Cristian Romero posted about his personal connection to Messi, writing: "As a kid, I dreamed of meeting you someday. But I never imagined that life would give me the gift of sharing this with you and living by your side through the golden age and greatest era of our national team."
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez described a childhood wish to play alongside Messi "even just once," and added: "Life ended up being far more beautiful than that boy was able to imagine. "I didn't just get to play with you, but we shared training camps, the dressing room, the conversations, the embraces, the difficult moments, the wonderful moments, and we ended up world champions together."
Fifa president Gianni Infantino congratulated Messi on an "extraordinary international career" and thanked him "for every unforgettable memory while wearing the colors of [Argentina] and for uniting fans across every corner of the globe." Argentinian Formula One driver Franco Colapinto wrote on Messi's Instagram post: "There are no words that will ever be enough to express our gratitude. "Thank you for getting back up time and time again and giving everything to make an entire country happy. You are an example to all of us."
Mourinho concluded his comment on Messi’s retirement post with a reflection on upcoming competitions, writing: "the next Copa America and the next World Cup won't be the same,".
