Brazil legend Ronaldo de Lima feels Lionel Messi's international retirement has left a hole in world football, but believes his decision to quit must be respected.
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The Argentine's third loss as captain of the Albiceleste in a major tournament final left him feeling dejected and ultimately led to him calling it quits for his national team.
Two-time FIFA World Cup winner Ronaldo has now insisted that Messi's decision needs to be respected, and hopes the FC Barcelona superstar will change his mind.
"It is an extremely personal choice of Messi and we have to respect," Ronaldo told Chinese news outlet Xinhua.
"We all feel abandoned by Messi, and hope he can change his decision."
The Brazilian also claimed that the Selecao have problems of their own, and can no longer be considered as one of South America's best teams.
"Brazil played badly in the Copa America this year, with wrong plans and (player) choices," he added.
"And Brazil is now very far from the best in this field in South America."
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