Kareena Kapoor's son heartbroken over Lionel Messi's retirement announcement

Dubai: Kareena Kapoor has joined a host of celebrities reacting to Lionel Messi’s decision to retire from international football, revealing how deeply the Argentine legend’s departure has affected her football-loving family.

The Jab We Met actress took to Instagram Stories to repost a video featuring some of Messi’s most memorable moments on the football field. Expressing her admiration for the Argentina star, Kareena captioned the post: “Number 10 forever,” followed by red heart emojis.

She also shared a candid picture of one of her sons posing with his back to the camera, wearing a blue jersey bearing Messi’s iconic No. 10. It is unclear whether the picture shows her elder son Taimur or younger son Jeh, as both boys had previously been seen wearing Messi jerseys during their meeting with the football legend.

Kareena was among the Indian celebrities who reacted to Messi’s retirement announcement after the Argentine icon confirmed on August 31 that he would step away from international football.

The actress and Messi had previously met during the footballer’s three-day promotional visit to India in December 2025. Kareena had taken Taimur and Jeh to a special meet-and-greet with the football star and later shared pictures from the memorable occasion on social media.

Before the meeting, she posted a picture of herself with her two sons, all seen from behind. Taimur was wearing a jersey with Messi’s name, while Jeh was dressed in an Argentina jersey.

Kareena was later spotted leaving Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium after meeting Messi, who was in the city as part of his India tour.

Messi’s retirement announcement has prompted an emotional response from footballers, fans and celebrities worldwide, with tributes pouring in for one of the sport’s most celebrated players.

With inputs from Agencies