Ustari on emotional retirement chat with Messi: ‘We nearly cried’ | OneFootball

Oscar Ustari, former goalkeeper for the Argentina national team who is currently a free agent, revealed a profound conversation he had with Lionel Messi about retiring from football and what they were going to do once the time came to hang up their boots. He also explained that footballers feel something about “this sport” and that “the day it’s gone is very hard.”

“One time Leo (Messi) and I were talking in an Inter Miami bathroom while we were washing our faces, and he asked me what I was going to do and how much longer I was going to play. I replied that I had already graduated as a sporting director and coach,” he began in an interview with DSportsRadio.

“I asked him what he was going to do afterward, and he answered that he didn’t even want to think about it.” Ustari explained that the conversation took place a year ago; and now, at 39 years old, Messi is still going strong and is playing in his sixth World Cup, where he became the tournament’s all-time top scorer.

Lionel Messi and Oscar Ustari after winning the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

“If there’s one thing I already know, it’s that I’m going to cry twice because of football: when it’s my turn to leave it, and when I no longer see you out there on a pitch. And Leo blushed. We were both just about to start crying right there,” concluded the former Boca and Independiente goalkeeper.

Ustari’s story with the Number 10 began in Argentina’s youth teams, where they were teammates in the Under-20 World Cup-winning squad. Later, they were together again with the senior national team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and two years later they won the gold medal together at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Finally, they reunited at Inter Miami in the final stretch of their careers. With the Florida club, they spent two seasons together and won three titles: the Supporters’ Shield (2024), the MLS Eastern Conference (2025), and the MLS Cup (2025).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.