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Lionel Messi reacted to his compatriot Sergio Aguero seemingly hinting at a return from retirement for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in June 2025. The Argentine striker retired in December 2021 at the age of 33 owing to his heart condition.
Sergio Aguero last played for Messi's former club, Barcelona, before announcing his retirement from professional football. He faced discomfort in his chest during one of Barcelona's LaLiga clashes against Deportivo Alaves in October 2021 and was taken to the hospital that day. The former Manchester City striker was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat soon after and forced to retire in December that year.
In an Instagram post on April 16, Sergio Aguero seemingly teased a sudden return from retirement for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. The Argentine shared a video on the social media platform where he wrote:
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"Thinking about making a comeback for the FIFA Club World Cup."
Aguero appears to be joking, as the video is a part of a sponsored post by Michelob Beer. The post is seemingly a part of an advertisement or paid partnership. However, that did not stop his former La Albiceleste teammate Lionel Messi from taking part in the joke.
Taking to the comments, Messi posted two big eyes emojis, which usually denote surprise or shock. He could be a part of the commercial or may have commented in jest.
"👀👀," Messi's comment read.
Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi have played together for the Argentina national team for 15 years. They made 90 appearances together, recording 18 joint-goal participations. The duo has also been close friends beyond the pitch as Messi is the godfather of Aguero's son, Benjamin Aguero.
"I thought it was a joke" - When Sergio Aguero claimed he thought someone hacked into Barcelona's account after they announced Lionel Messi's departure
In a 2022 interview with journalist Jose Alvarez, Sergio Aguero recalled how he was shocked to learn about Lionel Messi's sudden departure from Barcelona. The Argentine legend was forced to leave his boyhood side after they failed to renew his contract in August 2021 due to economic woes. Aguero said (via SportBIBLE):
"I was with Ibai drinking mate and suddenly… he looks at the phone and says to me: ‘No, is this true?’ and shows me the phone with the Barça official announcement. When Barcelona announced Messi’s departure, I thought someone had hacked Barça’s social networks. I thought it was a joke."
Sergio Aguero had signed for Barcelona as a free agent from Manchester City in May 2021. One of his reasons for joining the Catalans was to play alongside Lionel Messi at the club level, where they never shared the stage. However, Messi had to leave the club to sign for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in August that year.
Aguero ended up making only five appearances for Barcelona, scoring once for them. While he may be joking about returning to football, Messi is all set to lead Inter Miami to the Club World Cup in June this year.
