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Watch: Lionel Ritchie urges namesake Messi not to quit Argentina

Reuters

"Once, twice, three times a finals loser."

On the heels of his penalty miss and Argentina's subsequent Copa America Centenario finals defeat - La Albiceleste's third straight finals loss - Lionel Messi informally announced his retirement from international competition.

That decision has sparked interest from at least one American singer whose relevance hangs by a tether courtesy of hits like "Hello," "All Night Long," and "Say You, Say Me."

Lionel Ritchie wasn't dancing on the ceiling when he caught wind of Messi's intentions to quit the national team, but the singer who shares a name with the Barcelona star thinks the diminutive goal-machine will be back.

"If I told you how many times I lost at the Grammy's, and it only made me do one thing: get better," Ritchie offered on Messi's loss with Argentina.

"So I'm not even worried about my namesake, he's gonna be just fine and you''ll see it this time next year," Ritchie continued. "He's a Lionel, he can't go wrong."

"Say you, say me, say it together, Leo Messi."

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