A famous Spanish referee highlighted Lionel Messi's "noble" trait: "He could have turned 100,000 people against us per game."

Following the farewell of Lionel Messi from the Argentine national team, former Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde González highlighted a notable personal trait of the forward regarding his conduct on the pitch toward match officials.

Unlike traditional tributes focused primarily on goals, titles, and gameplay, Iturralde González emphasized Messi's restraint and fair play, noting that the player possessed the influence to turn massive crowds against referees during matches but chose not to do so.