Demichelis turns nostalgic over Messi's farewell: 'I told him one last time — enjoy it'

Lionel Messi's farewell to international football has left his former teammate Martin Demichelis deeply nostalgic. The Leipzig coach recalled the days he spent alongside Argentina's legendary captain and praised his leadership, personality and contribution to football.

Demichelis had a close relationship with Messi from their time playing together for Argentina. He was among the invited guests at the star forward's wedding. Despite that closeness, Demichelis did not want to disturb his friend by sending messages regularly.

Demichelis believes Messi receives millions of messages every day, so as a former teammate he thought restraint was appropriate. There was, however, one moment when he felt compelled to break that restraint and send a message.

After the World Cup semi-final win over England, Demichelis sent Messi a congratulatory message. Messi's leadership as captain in that match, and his ability to instil a fighting mentality in the team, had deeply impressed him.

Demichelis said: 'At that time I was a very close teammate of Leo in the national team dressing room. When Leo got married, I was one of the invited guests. I never wanted to bother Messi by messaging him again and again, because I imagine he receives millions of messages every day.'

Speaking about the message sent after the semi-final, he said: 'In the match against England, the way he once again channelled his inner drive so extraordinarily, as a team and as captain, I felt the need to congratulate him.'

Messi's determination, desire and age astonished Demichelis. In his words: 'That firm belief of his, the vision, the desire, and above all, his age... unbelievable! I felt I should tell him one last time: enjoy it. There is no need to think about what happens next.'

Demichelis could not, however, attend Messi's farewell match. His coaching duties in Germany meant travelling to Buenos Aires was not possible, and the regret over that absence came through clearly in his words.

Even from afar, he watched the videos and old moments published on social media around Messi. Those images and clips made his memories come alive even more strongly.

Recalling the day Messi retired from international football, Demichelis said: 'When he announced his retirement and the farewell day arrived, like every other Argentine I became nostalgic. I started watching one video and old moment after another on social media.'

On missing the farewell match because of work, he also spoke of a two-sided feeling. In his words: 'Because of work I could not be there. In one way I am grateful for that, because it means I am working at a big institution. But as an Argentine, as his former teammate, the emotion of the memories overwhelmed me.'

In Demichelis's recollection, Messi appears not only as an extraordinary footballer but also as a captain — one who defied age and kept the drive to lead his team from the front until the very end.

More such emotional reactions from Messi's former teammates are expected after the end of his international chapter. In Demichelis's words, the emotion of that farewell came through most clearly — gratitude, wonder and the pull of a long friendship, all together.