Lionel Messi has officially announced his retirement from international football, drawing the curtain on a legendary career spanning over 20 years with the Argentina national team, during which he established himself as La Albiceleste‘s all-time top scorer and most-capped player.
Messi’s decision comes weeks after Argentina’s loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, as the 39-year-old brings an end to his international journey after captaining his nation through its most successful era since the days of Diego Maradona.
What Messi Said About His International Retirement
In a message published across his personal accounts, Messi shared: “After all this time since the final, and after careful reflection, I want to inform everyone that I am retiring from international football with the national team. It is a decision that hurts me, and will continue to hurt deep inside, but I know this is the right moment.”
He added: “I swear that I always gave everything—not just during these recent years when we won it all, but before that as well. I fought and poured everything I had into this jersey, and I simply have no more left to give.”
He concluded: “Thank you for all the love over these 20 years. I will miss hearing your voices from inside the stadium. Now, I will become one of you, supporting the team from the outside in good times, and even more so in difficult ones.”
Messi’s Record-Breaking Career with Argentina
Messi made his senior international debut in August 2005 against Hungary and concluded his journey with 207 caps and 125 goals, cementing his position as Argentina’s leading appearance maker and top goalscorer by a substantial margin.
The talismanic forward captained his country to glory at the 2022 World Cup, back-to-back Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 Finalissima, alongside an Olympic gold medal at Beijing 2008 and the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2005.
Messi made his final international appearance against Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, where Argentina suffered a 1–0 defeat and fell short of defending their world title. The Argentina captain steps away having competed in 6 World Cup tournaments and reaching the final on 3 occasions.
