In a candid interview with Argentine media, Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari has opened up about a deeply personal conversation with Lionel Messi that took place in the most unlikely of settings — a bathroom at the club’s training facility — where the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner confessed he cannot bear to think about life after football.
The revelation, shared with TyC Sports this week, offers a rare glimpse into the vulnerability of a player who has conquered every summit of the sport, yet remains haunted by the inevitable end of his playing career.
Ustari, 40, and Messi, 39, have been teammates at Inter Miami since the former joined the club in 2023. But their bond predates Florida — they were roommates during Argentina’s 2008 Olympic gold medal campaign in Beijing, and Ustari was part of the 2006 World Cup squad alongside a teenage Messi.
Speaking from Inter Miami’s training complex in Fort Lauderdale, Ustari recalled the moment with striking clarity. “It was about a year ago,” he said. “We were washing our faces after a session, just the two of us in the bathroom. Leo looked at me and asked, ‘What are you going to do? How long are you going to play?’”
Ustari, who has battled serious knee injuries throughout his career, had already prepared for the next chapter. “I’ve studied and graduated as a sporting director and coach,” he told Messi. “I have a path. I’m already on it.”
Then he turned the question back to the man who has won 47 professional titles, including the World Cup. “And you?” Ustari asked.
Messi’s response was stark: “I don’t even want to think about that.”
Ustari described the silence that followed. “There’s something special about this sport for us footballers. We feel like we were born for it. The day you lose it, it’s really tough. Anguish and all that.”
Then, with the tap still running, Ustari delivered a line that cut through the sterile air of the locker room. “If there’s one thing I know for sure,” he told Messi, “it’s that I’m going to cry twice because of football: when it’s my turn to retire, and when I don’t see you on the pitch anymore.”
Messi blushed, Ustari recalled. “We were both about to burst into tears right there. Two grown men, holding it together over a sink.”
The anecdote underscores a theme that has followed Messi throughout his late-career years: his refusal to publicly contemplate the end. While Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken openly about his target of scoring 1,000 career goals and playing until his 40s, Messi has repeatedly deflected questions about his timeline, often saying he will “play until I feel I can’t contribute anymore.”
At 39, he remains instrumental for Inter Miami, with 12 goals and 9 assists in the current MLS season, and he has not ruled out representing Argentina at the 2028 Copa América. But Ustari’s account suggests the internal clock is ticking louder than ever.
“Leo is the most competitive person I’ve ever met,” Ustari added. “That drive is what makes him great. But it also makes the thought of stopping unbearable. He doesn’t just love football — he is football.”
For Ustari, whose own retirement is likely imminent — his contract with Inter Miami expires at the end of the year — the conversation was a mirror held up to both their futures. He has already completed his coaching badges and is reportedly weighing offers to join a technical staff in Argentina or Europe.
“I told him, ‘You’ll figure it out. You always do,’” Ustari said. “But he just shook his head and smiled that shy smile. I don’t think he’s ready to even picture it.”
As the interview concluded, Ustari reflected on the weight of that moment in the bathroom — a fleeting, unguarded exchange between two men who have shared dressing rooms, victories, and defeats across two decades.
“That day, I didn’t cry,” he said. “But I know I will. Twice.”
