Paris Saint-Germain send Lionel Messi farewell message as Barcelona remain silent

Paris Saint-Germain have sent Lionel Messi a farewell message before the former player’s final appearance for Argentina, while Barcelona did not mark the occasion publicly.

Messi is set to bring his international career to an end on 6 October 2026 when Argentina face Benin in front of their home supporters at the Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Paris Saint-Germain, who had Messi in their squad between 2021 and 2023, posted a message for the Inter Miami forward on social media before the match.

“The end of an unforgettable chapter with Argentina. Enjoy it Leo,” wrote the two-time European champions in a message accompanied by Argentina flags and applause emojis.

Messi decided to retire from international football after Argentina’s defeat by Spain in the final of the 2026 World Cup. He had previously led his country to the 2022 World Cup title.

The 39-year-old has made 207 appearances for Argentina, scoring 125 goals and providing 68 assists.

His final international match will take place in front of the Argentina supporters at a stadium that has hosted many of the most significant moments of his career with the national team.

The warm words from Paris Saint-Germain also highlighted the contrast with the reaction from Barcelona, where Messi spent many years and achieved major success.

Barcelona left a comment on a social media post Messi published at the beginning of last month to announce his international retirement. The club removed that comment shortly afterwards.

However, Barcelona did not issue a message to Messi on the night of his farewell match.

Paris Saint-Germain, by contrast, chose to publicly support a player who spent a relatively short period at the club, having joined them in 2021 and left in 2023.

Messi’s spell in Paris came after his long association with Barcelona, where he established himself as one of the club’s most important players before moving to France. The source article did not specify the content of Barcelona’s deleted comment, but it confirmed that no further message was posted for his final Argentina appearance.