Lionel Messi’s emotional farewell speech: “I don’t want to leave here”

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After his final match with Argentina, Messi took the microphone to thank his teammates and fans in a moving speech that brought an emotional night to a close.

Lionel Messi struggled to hold back his emotions as he said goodbye to the Argentina national team. After his farewell match, the captain took the microphone and thanked his teammates, the fans and his country before delivering one of the night’s most powerful lines: “I don’t want to leave here, nor do I want to leave the pitch.”

"Well, the truth... It's hard to say anything today, there are many emotions, many things cross my mind. Obviously the first thing I think of is my dad. I can only give thanks, as I said in the farewell letter. It was a great pride to wear this shirt for more than 20 years. Even in the worst moments, which we have gone through and I have had, I never stopped fighting, struggling, giving my all, wanting to always be there. Not coming anymore is going to be a great pain. I swear I would like to come my whole life; playing for the Argentina national team is the most wonderful thing that can happen to you, the most wonderful thing that can happen to you. As I said, although I want to be here my whole life, it is the moment; the last World Cup was too much, everything I had to go through. We were lucky to fulfill my dream and that of the whole country, to return to being world champions."

Argentina's Lionel Messi acknowledges fans following his final international match (REUTERS).

"At the last World Cup we were very close, and the truth is nothing strange happened as people say; the match with England was a very big drain for us, in terms of legs and emotionally, it was a huge wear. We arrived barely. We fought for it as we always did with this shirt. With all the teammates I had the chance to go through and share with — not only with those I won with, but also with those from before — we were very close to being champions. Do not doubt that all the teammates I had by my side always gave everything for this shirt, always."

"I thank my teammates for this time I got to share with this group, which was a lot; they made me fulfill my childhood dream: to be world champion, to win the Copa América, the Finalissima. It was a great pride to share the pitch and off it with them: it was going out to compete with warriors who would give their lives. Surely I'll forget many things I'd like to say, but it's a difficult moment for me. I will miss playing here very much; I had the luck to go all over the country, I got to play everywhere, and I always received great affection. I am grateful for everything I got to live. I thank everyone for all this time; wherever I went the stadium was full, you were everywhere, making an enormous effort — we know how difficult it is to be at the stadium, to travel to World Cups, to Copa Américas... we were at home everywhere and we felt that. In this place I got to live one of the happiest days of my career, which was the match after having won the World Cup; I will never forget it, it was beautiful, I watch videos and I get emotional, it will remain in my history, theirs and my family's. It was something spectacular, thank you. Today, again here, I face the saddest day of my career, which is when I say goodbye to the national team and to all of you. I will miss you, defending the national team's colors. But now I will be on the other side, with all of you supporting these guys and those who come. Always united. It was proven that when we come together and are united, we are stronger than anyone."

Argentina's Lionel Messi acknowledges fans following his final international match (REUTERS),

"Hard moments will surely come, what was achieved is not normal, and we have to be closer. As I told them: to achieve big objectives, you have to build united groups; there are people who want to see the national team do badly, we mustn't give them the pleasure. In hard and difficult moments is when you see the group; when there is not a strong group, it is very difficult to achieve it. And we are an extraordinary group, that's why we achieved everything we did."

"I'm speaking more than ever, I don't want to leave here, nor do I want to leave the pitch, I love you, I'm going to miss you, I thank God for being Argentine, proud to be Argentine and to have fulfilled my dream. I love you."