Lionel Messi Quits Argentina: Twitter Reacts to Star's International Retirement

Barcelona star Lionel Messi shockingly decided to retire from international football in the wake of Argentina's loss to Chile in the final of the Copa America Centenario on Sunday, per ESPN FC. It was the third straight loss in the final of a major tournament for La Albiceleste.

The UEFA Champions League's official Twitter account confirmed the news:

Bleacher Report UK thanked the 29-year-old for his wonderful showings on the international stage:

Messi entered the Copa America in fantastic form and finished the tournament with five goals, one less than top scorer Eduardo Vargas of Chile. He failed to find the net in the final, however, and missed Argentina's first penalty kick in the shootout after the match had finished 0-0. Lucas Biglia and Chile's Arturo Vidal also missed, and Francisco Silva fired Chile to their second successive Copa America.

Fox Sports (h/t Bleacher Report UK) shared footage of what could've been Messi's final kick for his country:

As shared by the Sun, Argentina's top star took his miss and the subsequent loss badly:

It marked Messi's fourth loss in the final of a major international tournament, and if he never returns to La Albiceleste, he'll finish his international career with an Olympic gold medal, which he won in 2008, but no Copa America or World Cup.

Per DW News' Mischa Heuer, Messi's announcement created a surge of activity on social media:

As shared by MESSISTATS, the news dominated Argentinian headlines:

"

Messi on the front pages of the Argentine newspapers this morning #CA2016 pic.twitter.com/vS7OMqnpzG

— MESSISTATS (@MessiStats) June 27, 2016"

Unsurprisingly, fans were shocked when they heard the news. YouTube football sensation The F2 was anything but happy:

Fellow YouTuber Callux couldn't help himself:

The Daily Mirror's Liam Canning took a shot at one of Messi's team-mates:

As this is the year 2016, the Crying Jordan meme quickly made an appearance. Football writer Cristian Nyari didn't waste any time:

"

Only a matter of time before these appeared although 1 crying Messi is sadder than 1000 crying Jordans. pic.twitter.com/SNNs1Ppk3C

— Cristian Nyari (@CrisNyari) June 27, 2016"

Plenty of fans refused to accept the Barcelona star's retirement, and pundits soon joined in, pointing out the decision was made in the heat of the moment and that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner could return for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

One fan made the comparison to cricket star Shahid Afridi, who has retired and then returned to international cricket on several occasions since 2011:

Sport Illustrated's Grant Wahl gave Argentinian fans some hope:

Inevitably, discussions regarding Messi's legacy also broke out. Compatriot Diego Maradona had his defining moment with the 1986 World Cup triumph, which cemented his place in history. Brazil's Pele is mainly remembered for winning three World Cups rather than his scoring records.

The two greatest players of this era―Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo―haven't enjoyed any success on the international stage, however, and it was rightly pointed out football is a team game and that players can't be judged on silverware alone.

Goal's Robin Bairner perhaps put it best:

The Daily Mirror's Ed Malyon didn't want to hear people suggesting Messi is a "choker":

BBC Sport's Andy West imagined how different Messi's legacy would be if Argentina had won just one of those three finals they've lost since 2014:

If Messi never returns to international football, his final kick in an Argentina shirt will have been the missed penalty, and that's a painful memory to have.

His legacy is safe with or without major international trophies, however, and as he's just 29 years old, fans will likely get to watch him play with Barcelona for many more years to come.

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