What Messi’s farewell reveals about the lasting value of retired footballers
On 6 October, more than 85,000 fans packed Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental to watch Lionel Messi play his final game for Argentina. He set up two goals, scored a penalty in a 3-0 win over Benin, and walked off to a giant “Gracias” shirt and drones lighting up the sky with his number 10.
The goodbye had been building since the summer. On 19 July, Argentina lost the World Cup final 1-0 to Spain after extra time at MetLife Stadium. That same night, Michelob ULTRA put a tribute to Messi on air. On 31 August, he announced his retirement from international football.
The tab that closed itself
“Tab Closed” turns Messi’s World Cup career into a bar receipt. Matches won, goals scored and records broken are itemised where the drinks would normally be, signed off with “Superior is worth playing for.” It aired during Telemundo’s postgame broadcast and then took over Times Square.
Underneath it sits the voice. Peter Drury’s commentary, drawn from real broadcast calls of Messi’s World Cup moments rather than scripted fresh, carries the emotion of the film. The licensing of that original commentary was arranged by MN2S, and it is the reason the spot feels less like an ad and more like a memory.
When Messi confirmed he was stepping away from Argentina, the film shifted meaning overnight. He shared it on his own Instagram as a paid partnership. That is the power of legacy: once a career is written, it keeps working.
Retirement is not the end of the commercial story
Messi was already the most visible face of the tournament. System1 data cited by Campaign found he appeared in 18 of 80 World Cup-timed brand campaigns across Argentina, the US and the UK. He is still playing club football for Inter Miami, but his international chapter is closed, and his brand story is arguably only getting richer.
Why legends often outperform current players
For brand marketers, retired footballers solve problems that active players create.
No tribal baggage. A current striker belongs to one club and, by extension, alienates every rival fan base. A legend belongs to the game.
No fixture clashes or injury risk. Shoot schedules don’t have to bend around midweek European nights, and campaigns don’t get pulled because of a hamstring.
Personality, finally unlocked. Media-trained answers give way to humour, warmth and self-awareness: the qualities that make content travel.
Nostalgia with spending power. The fans who grew up watching these players are now the ones making household and business buying decisions.
One legend, many formats
The real advantage is range. Retired players slot into almost any brief, and the campaigns below show just how wide that range runs.
Humour. Specsavers teamed up with Harry Redknapp to mentor Cwm Albion, a Welsh side on a 22-game losing streak, in the web series “There’s More To Cwm.” A legendary manager coaching the country’s “best worst team” is instantly shareable.
Fan participation. Ally McCoist fronted Papa Johns’ “Fan to Famous”, giving supporters the chance to win a contract with their chosen club, complete with a squad number and £15,000 for the club. For Currys, he and Clive Tyldesley secretly commentated on a creator 5-a-side match during the Euros, their voices piped through LG XBOOM speakers around the pitch.
Purpose. Ian Holloway helped launch Puma’s Rainbow Ball, used across the EFL during LGBT History Month, with Puma pledging a donation to the LGBTQ+ Fans for Diversity Fund for every goal scored.
Collectibles. Andy Cole signed 3,000 trading cards for Panini America over two years, turning Premier League heritage into product.
Gaming. Vinnie Jones became a tank commander in World of Tanks’ Holiday Ops event, complete with his own custom in-game tank skin.
Rivalry, flipped. Ahead of this summer’s World Cup, Flamin’ Hot Mexico made Arjen Robben the face of its “Warmest Welcome” campaign. Alongside Maxi Rodríguez, both players who knocked Mexico out of past World Cups, Robben was welcomed back to Mexico with a playful dose of Flamin’ Hot heat. Only a retired player could carry that story: old wounds turned into a joke the whole country is in on.
Local pride. Carling licensed an image of former Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen for out-of-home and digital advertising across the town, celebrating community and sporting heritage.
The voice. And as “Tab Closed” shows, football’s most iconic voices are assets in their own right. The soundtrack of a moment can carry as much emotion as the player.
The window is now
Messi stepping back from international football marks a generational shift, and brands are already rethinking who carries their football story into 2027. The smart move is not to wait for the next superstar to emerge. It is to work with the names that already mean something: legends such as Wayne Rooney or Ronaldinho, whose stories are written, whose appeal crosses club lines, and whose audiences grew up with them.
The final whistle is where the best brand stories start. Talk to a specialist talent agency about bringing a football legend into your next campaign.