Jose Mourinho will watch MLS. That's how much Lionel Messi means to him. Ahead of Real Madrid's fixture against Real Betis, the Portuguese coach said he'd tune into a league he openly dislikes just to catch Messi's final years in club football — and that tells you everything about how the game views the Argentine's retirement from international duty.
"To talk about Messi is complicated," Mourinho said. "There is not much more to say, and there are no words that can describe his quality as a player."
That's not deflection. Coming from a man who has rarely struggled for words about anyone, it's about as close to reverence as Mourinho gets.
What Messi's retirement actually means
Messi stepping away from the Albiceleste removes one of the last genuine must-watch events in international football. Argentina won the World Cup with him at the peak of his powers. There's no unfinished business — he left the stage with the one trophy that had eluded him. The retirement makes sense. It doesn't make it easier to watch.
For the betting market, Argentina's odds for future tournaments shift considerably without him. They were always competitive before Messi — they won the Copa América in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022 with him — but the aura is gone now. Argentina remain strong, but the air of inevitability that followed that squad disappears with him.
Alvarez and Atletico: the subplot worth watching
Mourinho also touched on Julian Alvarez's situation at Atletico Madrid, following the striker's failed summer move away from the club. Alvarez arrived with serious pedigree — a World Cup winner, a Champions League winner with City — and the expectation that he'd be central to Atletico's attack.
Whether he stays settled or forces another exit attempt in January is a thread worth tracking. Atletico's forward line and their odds in the title race could look very different depending on how that situation resolves.
"There are no words that can describe his quality as a player," Mourinho said of Messi. High praise from a coach who built his career on stopping players exactly like him.
