Hundreds of Argentines flocked the streets of Buenos Aires on Saturday in protest of football star Lionel Messi’s decision to retire from international duty after his country’s loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario final.
The defeat marked their third straight final loss at a major competition in a two-year span, with the first coming at the 2014 World Cup.
Having missed his spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out against Chile, a dejected Messi revealed his intentions to call and end to his Argentina duty, an announcement that did not go down well with his countrymen and fans across the world.
Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri said he talked to the Barcelona star on phone to try and convince him to stay on.
On Tuesday, the mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, unveiled a statue in Messi’s honour and encouraged Argentina to flood social media with messages encouraging his return.
Nicolas Russo, the president of the Argentine club Lanus, said the Argentine Football Association will try to change his mind.
