Lionel Messi's retirement from the Argentine national team was also noted by the country's volleyball community.
On this occasion, Argentine volleyball looked back more than three years and recalled a curious shot of the men's national team, connecting volleyball with one of the greatest figures in the history of Argentine sports.
The photo was taken on June 21, 2023, in Orleans, immediately after Argentina's 3:1 (22:25, 26:24, 25:21, 25:20) victory over host France in the Volleyball Nations League.
The Argentinians lost the first set but then made a comeback against the then-Olympic champions. Agustin Loser and Luciano Palonsky finished as the top scorers for the winners with 16 points each.
After the last point, however, came the moment that, three years later, once again attracted attention. The Argentine volleyball players posed on the court in Lionel Messi's number 10 jerseys with the three stars for the country's world titles - 1978, 1986, and 2022.
The gesture is not accidental. Just six months earlier, Messi and Argentina had defeated France in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Now, Argentine volleyball uses the same shot to pay tribute to Messi.
"Eternal gratitude to the captain of all - Leo Messi," the post begins.
"Three years ago, our players defeated France in a great VNL match after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and decided to celebrate the victory with Messi's number 10 jersey," Argentina recalls.
"What better way to pay tribute to our captain, who today announced his retirement from the national team," the message concludes.
Thus, a photo from June 21, 2023, received new life more than three years later - this time as a volleyball "thank you" to Lionel Messi.

photo:volleyballworld.com