The tears that symbolize an era that will not return in football | Opinion

The tears that streamed down Lionel Messi's cheeks did not flow only for him. They flowed for each and every one of us. These were not tears of defeat, but tears of farewell to an entire era, the finish line of a rare piece of history and a moment of distilled pure happiness, which rolled into itself years of absolute enjoyment watching the greatest artist the sport has ever known.

In his last tango, Messi gave us a swan song that was all gold – the greatest and most spectacular tournament of his career. But the real story was not the farewell, but the way it happened. Messi was not stopped by time, but by the creation of Messi himself. He was stopped by the national team that he himself carved out of stone. Children who breathed the air of 'La Masia', who grew up on his every step, who learned to fly just by watching his dance moves on the grass. The children who shouted 'Messiii' a moment before blasting the ball on the neighborhood court.

He arrived at this tournament when many were already rushing to sketch the end, saying he was too old, past his prime, and had already managed to retire to rest under the warm sun of Miami. But Messi, in his alien way, showed that this sun only brought back his shine. In a tournament where the veteran stars faded quietly and the young ones arrived to shine, Messi stood exactly in the middle. He was both the glorious chapter that ends and the most mesmerizing solo performance seen on the pitch.

Just as Solomon built the Temple on the foundations laid by David, just as Bernini poured stone and marble into the vision of Michelangelo, just as Aristotle deepened the spirit of Plato, and just as Mozart composed new sounds into the musical legacy he received from Bach – so Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Cubarsí and Rodri are simply continuing the path that Messi carved for them.

Messi, the last and glorious remnant of the legendary Barcelona, stood opposite the Barcelona that he himself raised. An entire generation of boys whose whole spirit is one passion: to be Messi. The historic passing of the baton of the great Barça, with Xavi, Iniesta and David Villa in the stands, with Messi on the grass, to the Barça of tomorrow, was finally sealed in the final.

The cliché 'Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened' has never been more alive, burning and accurate. Thank you for every goal that landed in the net, for every assist woven with artistry, for every dribble that shook the stands, for every time we grabbed our heads in front of unimaginable magic, and for every moment you turned this simple game into a masterpiece called football. And thank you for letting us all, for the last time, witness the greatest of them all.