Messi flies home to quiet Argentina as World Cup final heartbreak kills plans for public parade

Lionel Messi is set to slip back into Argentina with no mass celebration and no public farewell, after the world champions lost the World Cup final 1-0 to Spain.

The Argentine government has decided to cancel plans for a popular homecoming party for the national team and will instead stage only a brief, tightly controlled reception at Ezeiza Airport near Buenos Aires on Monday, local media report.

Senior officials at the presidential palace, quoted by Argentine outlets, said the idea of a public celebration had been “fully ruled out” in light of the mood in the country following the defeat.

Instead of an open-top bus parade through the capital, the squad will be greeted on the tarmac by security services and fire trucks in a protocol-only event, with no fans allowed to attend.

Messi heads straight for home and ‘time for rest and family’

Messi, 37, will not remain in Buenos Aires after landing. According to journalist Pablo Gravelloni of TN Sports, the captain will travel directly to his home province.

“Messi will arrive tomorrow in Rosario and go straight to Funes. It’s time for rest and family,” Gravelloni wrote on X.

Rosario is Messi’s birthplace, while Funes, a nearby town in the province of Santa Fe, is where his family home is located. The decision underlines the player’s desire to retreat from the spotlight after a gruelling campaign that ended in disappointment.

Gravelloni also moved to quash immediate speculation that the match against Spain had been Messi’s final appearance for the national side.

He added: “Messi didn’t tell anyone that this was his last game with the national team. Of course this was his last World Cup, but he didn’t define anything about his near future.”

The remarks suggest that while Messi’s World Cup career is over, he has not yet closed the door on continuing with Argentina in other competitions or friendlies.

Government scales back plans amid subdued national mood

Argentina’s subdued response marks a stark contrast to the scenes in 2022, when millions flooded the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate the team’s World Cup triumph in Qatar.

This time, officials are wary of the emotional climate – and possibly of security risks – in the aftermath of the narrow loss to Spain. The final, decided by a single goal, denied Messi and his team-mates a historic back-to-back world title.

Local reports say security forces and emergency services will be mobilised only inside the airport perimeter for the short official ceremony, with no public viewing areas or city-centre events scheduled.

By keeping the reception low key, the authorities appear keen to avoid both large gatherings and the political scrutiny that often accompanies high-profile celebrations linked to the national team.

Future of Argentina’s captain remains open

While there is no immediate indication Messi will retire from international football, the defeat has inevitably reignited debate about how long he will continue in the albiceleste shirt.

What is clear for now is that Argentina’s captain intends to step away from the public eye and reconnect with his roots in Rosario and Funes, as the country comes to terms with a World Cup final that slipped agonisingly from its grasp.