Photo by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

'The world thanks you': Neymar, Ronaldinho and a farewell that crossed every rivalry

The farewell of Lionel Messi drew tributes from well beyond Argentina. Some came from friends, some from former teammates, and some from the opposition on the night itself.

The messages

Neymar's words were the most widely quoted. Before the match he told Messi that "the world thanks you" and: "Thank you for making me love football even more." Yahoo Sports described him as Messi's former Barcelona teammate, and another headline version of his message carried the words: "It was an honour, thank you." Ronaldinho sent a message of support too, and Sporting News reported that the two led a star-studded list of celebrities honouring Messi ahead of the match.

Messi's reply

Messi did not stay silent. Bleacher Report reported that he released a video message before the game, and its headline carried the line that sums up his side of the relationship: "Thank You For Loving Me So Much". In a week when the football world was thanking him, he found a way to thank everyone back.

The opposition joins in

The tributes did not stop with old friends. When the final whistle blew on a 3-0 win at the Monumental, the referee and the Benin players walked over to greet Messi, with a couple of selfie requests, according to Bolavip. Outlook India reported that a drone light show then lit the stadium while Messi took a final lap.

What it says

Some measures of a player never appear on a scoresheet. One of them is how people on the other side of the game talk about him when he leaves.

On a night when Messi converted a penalty for his 126th international goal and Argentina won 3-0, the message from his friends, a rival team and even the match officials was the same. Neymar's four words said it best: the world thanks you.

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