Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, bringing the curtain down on an extraordinary 21-year Argentina career that delivered a World Cup, two Copa América titles and a host of individual records.
The 39-year-old confirmed on Monday that he will no longer play for the Argentina national team, seven weeks after captaining his country in their 1-0 extra-time defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
Messi leaves international football as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and all-time leading scorer, having registered 125 goals in 207 senior internationals.
Messi: ‘The time has come’
Messi announced his decision in an emotional statement published on Instagram.
“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep down but I understand that the time has come,” Messi wrote.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said he had always given everything while representing his country, through both the painful years of near misses and the trophy-laden period that eventually transformed his international legacy.
“I swear to you that I always gave it my all not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too,” he said.
Messi revealed that he originally wrote his retirement message on July 21, two days after Argentina lost the World Cup final to Spain.
However, he delayed making the announcement while his father, Jorge Messi, was dealing with serious health problems. Jorge died on August 8, and Messi said his father’s death left him even more convinced that retirement was the right decision.
From heartbreak to World Cup glory
Messi’s relationship with international football was not always defined by success.
He made his senior Argentina debut against Hungary in Budapest on August 17, 2005, aged 18. His first appearance lasted only minutes before he was sent off.
Years of frustration followed.
Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany before suffering successive Copa América final defeats against Chile in 2015 and 2016.
Following the 2016 defeat, Messi announced his retirement from international football for the first time. He reversed that decision weeks later and ultimately transformed his Argentina story.
His first major senior international trophy finally arrived when Argentina defeated Brazil to win the 2021 Copa América.
A year later, Messi captained Argentina to their greatest triumph of his era, defeating France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.
Argentina then retained the Copa América in 2024.
Spain deny Messi a fairytale farewell
Messi returned for one final World Cup this summer at the age of 39 and produced another remarkable tournament.
He scored eight goals and provided four assists as Argentina reached a second successive World Cup final.
But there would be no repeat of Qatar.
Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the July 19 final at New York/New Jersey Stadium, denying Messi the opportunity to finish his international career by lifting the World Cup for a second time.
It proved to be his final appearance in Argentina colours.
Messi departs having played in six World Cups and reached three finals losing to Germany in 2014, beating France in 2022 and finishing runner-up to Spain in 2026.
Argentina say goodbye to an icon
Messi’s departure closes one of the most celebrated international careers in football history.
His 207 appearances and 125 goals are both Argentina records. His international honours include the 2022 World Cup, Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024 and the 2022 Finalissima. He also won the Under-20 World Cup in 2005 and Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008.
The retirement applies only to international football. Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028 and has given no definitive indication of when he intends to end his club career.
For Argentina, however, the Messi era is officially over.
