Messi, 39, recently announced his retirement from international football, saying he had “nothing left to give” having “given it my all”.
He captained Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022 but could not repeat the feat against Spain in his final game for his country.
Messi scored 125 goals in 207 appearances for Argentina to become his country’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player.
“Leo’s legacy will live on forever because of what he achieved, for never giving up and for showing that dreams are hard-won, pursued and, in the end, fulfilled,” Paredes added.
“We’d spoken in the final days of the World Cup about how the final would surely be his last match, but even so, we weren’t prepared for that because of what he means to us.”
