Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has described Lionel Messi as one of the greatest players of his generation following the Argentine’s retirement from international football.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Mourinho praised Messi’s exceptional quality and reflected on the impact the forward has had on football over the past two decades.
“There are no words to describe his quality as a player,” Mourinho said.
“With what he did at the World Cup, at 39 years old… He’s a player we’ll miss. We’ll have to watch some MLS games to enjoy his last years; I don’t know if it will be a season or seasons.”
Mourinho added that Messi was one of the rare players whose absence would always be felt by football fans.
“He’s one of those players who, as I said the other day, you always miss. This player, for our generation, over these last two decades, we all know what he represents,” he said.
Messi, 39, announced his retirement from the Argentina national team on August 31, bringing an end to his 21-year international career.
The decision came seven weeks after Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, where Messi captained the team as they fell short of retaining the title they won in 2022.
During his international career, Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022 and helped the team win the Copa América in 2021 and 2024.
He ended his international career as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and leading goalscorer, having made 207 appearances and scored 125 goals.
