BUENOS AIRES: Lionel Messi has closed the door on his Argentina career at 39, ending a 21-year international journey that took him from early disappointment to the World Cup title he had chased for so long.
The decision was announced on Monday, August 31, through a statement on Instagram. Messi said he had already written the message on July 21, just two days after Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final to Spain, but kept it private until now.
“It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deep in my soul, but I understand that the time has come,” Messi wrote. “I swear I always gave everything I had, not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too.”
Messi’s final appearance for Argentina came in the World Cup final, where Spain beat the defending champions 1-0 after extra time. It brought an end to his sixth World Cup campaign and his third appearance in a World Cup final.
His international story had looked very different before the trophies arrived. Messi lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and then suffered defeats in the 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals against Chile. After the second of those losses, he briefly announced his retirement from international football before returning to the Argentina side.
The breakthrough finally came at the 2021 Copa América. Argentina defeated Brazil at the Maracanã, giving Messi his first major senior international trophy. He followed it with the 2022 Finalissima victory over Italy and then the biggest prize of his career the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Argentina beat France on penalties.
Messi added another Copa América title in 2024, while his earlier Argentina achievements included the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup and Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games. The trophies completed a turnaround after years in which his relationship with the national team had been dominated by painful final defeats.
His numbers leave little doubt about the scale of his Argentina career. Messi finishes as the country’s record appearance holder with 207 caps and its leading scorer with 125 goals. He also played a record 34 World Cup matches and won the tournament’s Golden Ball twice.
The Barcelona years produced another huge collection of records. Messi won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies with the Spanish club, while scoring 474 league goals. He also collected a record eight Ballon d’Or awards and six European Golden Shoes during his club career.
His retirement from Argentina does not mean the end of his playing career. Messi remains with Inter Miami, where he is contracted through the 2028 MLS season after joining the club in 2023 following his spell with Paris Saint-Germain.
The decision also came during a difficult personal period. Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, died earlier this month. In the final part of his statement, Messi said that what happened with his father had made him even more certain about the decision he had first written down after the World Cup final.
“There isn’t much time left, and chapters are starting to come to an end,” Messi wrote. “I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team. I emptied myself. I have nothing more to give.”
Messi also acknowledged the players now coming through Argentina’s system and said they deserve their chance with the national team.
“I have nothing more to give, and there are some incredible young players coming through who deserve to be here,” he wrote.
He thanked his family, coaches, teammates and officials before turning directly to the supporters who followed him through the difficult years and the victories that eventually followed.
“Now I’ll be one of you, cheering and supporting the team from the outside, always, through the good times and the bad, especially the bad,” Messi wrote.
Messi leaves Argentina after finally giving the country the trophy it had waited for, along with two Copa América titles, a Finalissima, Olympic gold, 207 appearances and 125 goals.
His final night in an Argentina shirt ended in defeat, but the international career that once carried so much disappointment finishes with the biggest trophies in his hands.
