“Football won’t be the same again”: Telangana CM, Kerala CM react after Messi’s international retirement
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 1 (ANI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheeshan expressed their sadness after legendary Argentina footballer Lionel Messi ended his two-decade-long international career.
Messi left behind thousands of unforgettable memories after he pulled down curtains on a decorated 20-year international career in Argentine colours. From his debut in 2005 to his final appearance in national colours in his side’s FIFA World Cup final loss to Spain this year, Messi’s journey was filled with history, tales of heartbreak, resilience and redemption. fish-roadgame.com
Posting on X, Revanth, who hosted Messi in Hyderabad during the football icon’s ‘The GOAT India Tour’ last year, said, “Dear Messi, You have enthralled, entertained, energised and inspired the entire #football world. It was a great privilege to share a few minutes on a football turf with you in #Hyderabad Football won’t be the same again, without the GOAT. Farewell, and keep inspiring. #Messi."
Dear Messi, You have enthralled, entertained, energised and inspired the entire #football world. It was a great privilege to share a few minutes on a football turf with you in #Hyderabad
Football won’t be the same again, without the GOAT. Farewell and keep inspiring.#Messi pic.twitter.com/sQi2QpJmf6
— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) August 31, 2026
Kerala CM Satheesan also posted a short video compiling some of Messi’s greatest moments in Argentina colours, captioned “GOAT" with a heartbreak emoji.
GOAT
pic.twitter.com/toQAIWH6mw
— V D Satheesan (@vdsatheesan) August 31, 2026
In his statement, as quoted by 433, Messi said, “After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I’m retiring from the national team. It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep inside, but I understand that this is the right moment."
“I swear I always gave everything, not only in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything for this shirt, to bring you happiness and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football," he added.
Messi acknowledged that the end of this chapter of his career “hurts him a lot", as he “gave everything he had and he does not have anything more to give". He also pointed to the emergence of young talent within the squad, saying that they “deserve to be here".
“There is not much time left, and different chapters are coming to an end. This is one that hurts me a lot. I love, I loved, and I will always love being part of the national team. I gave everything I had, and I don’t have anything more to give. Also, there are great young players coming through who deserve to be here," he said.
He thanked everyone for their love for these past two decades, saying that while he will miss their support on the field, he will now be amongst the fans supporting the national side in their good and bad times.
“Thank you to my family for always being there and for being with me throughout this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to every coach, teammate and director I had the chance to share it with. I take with me unforgettable memories and moments," he said.
“I leave with peace and pride, knowing that together with my teammates we gave you moments we once dreamed of. It was crazy to experience all of this with you. I love you!."
On a concluding note, he said, “Thank you God for making me Argentine. Vamos Argentina!" I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final. Today, after what happened with my dad, I am even more convinced of this decision than before."
The Argentina skipper is his country’s most-capped player and highest goal scorer, with 203 appearances and 124 goals. He is also the highest goal-scorer in South American football history.
In 2022, after years of heartbreaks, particularly the 2014 FIFA World Cup final loss to Germany, Messi tasted FIFA World Cup glory, beating a Kylian Mbappe-powered France in the final. It was his country’s first WC in 36 years and their third overall, as per ESPN.
Before that, Messi had also played a massive role in ending Argentina’s 28-year title drought, securing the Copa America title in 2021 and winning it back-to-back after World Cup glory in the 2024 edition.
Messi had previously announced his international retirement back in 2016 after Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa America final that year but reversed his retirement, leading his nation to World Cup glory six years later in Qatar. Messi scored two goals in the title clash and also converted a penalty, winning the match 4-2 for his side after the match ended in 3-3 draw at regulation time.
The legendary footballer appeared in six FIFA World Cups from 2006 to 2026, scoring 21 goals in 34 matches. He is the second-highest goal-scorer in the tournament’s history, with France’s Mbappe holding the record with 22 goals.
In this year’s World Cup, Messi had eight goals to his name and four assists, making him one of the standout performers in the tournament. This also included his maiden FIFA WC hat-trick against Algeria. He had overtaken Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s record of most FIFA World Cup goals before Mbappe snatched the top spot from him.
Messi will, however, continue playing for his club, Inter Miami, in Major League Soccer (MLS). Inter Miami is currently placed fourth in the MLS with 12 wins, six draws and four losses, giving them 42 points, 10 points behind Nashville SC. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
CPL 2026 TKR vs GAW Highlights | Guyana Amazon Warriors won by 9 Runs
CPL 2026 TKR vs GAW Highlights: Imran Tahir-led Guyana Amazon Warriors secured a 9-run victory (DLS Method) against Nicholas Pooran-led Trinbago Knight Riders in the 22nd match played at Queen’s Park Oval,
| Tournament | Caribbean Premier League 2026 |
| Team | Trinbago Knight Riders vs Guyana Amazon Warriors, 22nd Match |
| Date | Tuesday, September 01, 2026 |
| Toss | Trinbago Knight Riders won the toss and opted to Bowl |
| Venue | Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad |
| Result | Guyana Amazon Warriors won by 9 Runs (DLS Method) |
| Points Table | CPL 2026 Points Table, Team Standings, NRR and Points |
CPL 2026 TKR vs GAW Playing 11
Trinbago Knight Riders
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Glenn Phillips, Matthew Nandu, Shai Hope(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Quentin Sampson, Mohammad Nabi, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Joseph, Dwaine Pretorius, Khary Pierre, Imran Tahir(c)
CPL 2026 TKR vs GAW Scoreboard
| Team | Score |
| Guyana Amazon Warriors | 185-5 (16 ov) |
| Trinbago Knight Riders | 175-7 (16 ov) |
CPL 2026 TKR vs GAW Scorecard
Guyana Amazon Warriors Batting
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |
| Glenn Phillips | c Drakes b Hosein | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew Nandu | retired out | 13 | 21 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 61.9 |
| Shai Hope † | c Hales b Kumara | 16 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 145.45 |
| Shimron Hetmyer | not out | 111 | 43 | 72 | 8 | 9 | 258.13 |
| Mohammad Nabi | c Pooran b Usman Tariq | 6 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 85.71 |
| Quentin Sampson | b Narine | 7 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 175 |
| Romario Shepherd | not out | 27 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 385.71 |
Trinbago Knight Riders Bowling
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | WD | NB |
| Akeal Hosein | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 5.5 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Sunil Narine | 4 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 6.25 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Lahiru Kumara | 3 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 18.33 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Usman Tariq | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Jyd Goolie | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominic Drakes | 2 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Justin Greaves | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Trinbago Knight Riders Batting
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |
| Colin Munro | c Imran Tahir b Mohammad Nabi | 22 | 18 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 122.22 |
| Sunil Narine | c Phillips b Pretorius | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Nicholas Pooran (c) | c Sampson b Mohammad Nabi | 43 | 16 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 268.75 |
| Alex Hales | b Joseph | 55 | 24 | 58 | 1 | 7 | 229.16 |
| Jyd Goolie | lbw b Mohammad Nabi | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Greaves | b Imran Tahir | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Akeal Hosein | c & b Pierre | 18 | 11 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 163.63 |
| Dominic Drakes | not out | 14 | 13 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 107.69 |
| Joshua Da Silva † | not out | 13 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 260 |
Guyana Amazon Warriors Bowling
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | WD | NB |
| Dwaine Pretorius | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Shamar Joseph | 3 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Romario Shepherd | 2 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 14.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 3 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 6.66 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Imran Tahir | 4 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 9.5 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Khary Pierre | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
CPL 2026 TKR vs GAW Highlights
To Watch CPL 2026 TKR vs GAW Highlights Click >> HERE
Player of the Match
Shimron Hetmyer | Guyana Amazon Warriors
I’m good. It’s just a little bit of cramp. It’s been a while that I’ve actually batted that long, so my body still has to adjust to it. Honestly, there wasn’t really much discussion inside, to be fair. As much as we know the uphill task that we have, which is to come here and beat TKR in Trinidad.
So the plan was for us just to go back out with a positive mindset, and if the ball is there in your area, you put it away. If not, you try as much as possible to rotate the strike, and I guess from then on, the plan was really, really easy.
The post CPL 2026 TKR vs GAW Highlights | Guyana Amazon Warriors won by 9 Runs appeared first on Times of Sports.'My daughter will be very proud': Messi's teammates pay heartfelt tribute
Jemi-ly in Paris! Jemimah Rodrigues enjoys a trip to Paris
India women’s batter Jemimah Rodrigues has put the disappointment of missing out on the Asia Cup behind her — she sustained a hamstring tear while playing The Hundred — by taking a trip to Paris. She Instagrammed this photograph to her 3.9 million followers, with the caption: “Jemily in Paris,” a reference to the US drama series Emily in Paris.
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