Lionel Messi shocked everyone by announcing his retirement from Argentina, though they may still feature him in the shirt one final time for a farewell match. The news has already drawn emotional reactions from his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and now his mother, Celia Cuccittini.
On the show “Intrusos” on America TV in Argentina, a message sent by Celia Cuccittini was read live on air just minutes after Messi made his post announcing his departure from the national team.
“I am still crying. Even though we already knew, the whole family is very sad,” Celia wrote. “The important thing is that he is happy. His father always said, ‘What am I going to do when he doesn’t play anymore?’ and it all happened at once.”
Hidden message in Messi’s farewell letter
Messi surprised the soccer world by announcing his retirement from Argentina through a lengthy handwritten letter. However, a small detail in the manuscript did not go unnoticed and sparked widespread interpretation.
In one of the most crucial passages of the letter, Messi originally wrote the word “siento” (“I feel”) before crossing it out. The edit takes on added significance given what he wrote immediately afterward.
After scratching out “siento,” Messi replaced it with a much more rational and decisive phrase: “entiendo que es el momento” (“I understand it is time”). The shift between the two phrases clearly highlights how difficult the decision was for him to make.
Rather than stating he “feels” the time has come to step away, Messi chose to emphasize that he “understands” he must do so—a subtle difference on paper, but a massive insight into his emotional state when making the call.
