Lionel Messi announced on Monday that he is retiring from international football, closing the book on a 21-year Argentina career that began in 2005 and included a long-awaited World Cup triumph in 2022.
The 39-year-old broke the news in an emotional Instagram post, revealing he had actually written the message weeks earlier on July 21, just two days after Argentina’s 2026 World Cup final defeat to Spain but held off on posting it. He said the death of his father, Jorge Messi, in August only strengthened his resolve to step away.
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“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul, but I understand that it is the right time,” Messi wrote, adding that he had given everything for the shirt, “not just in the last few years when we won everything but before that too.”
Messi’s Argentina swansong came at the 2026 World Cup, where the defending champions battled to a second consecutive final only to fall 1-0 to Spain in extra time a bitter contrast to the 2022 final in Doha, where Messi lifted the trophy for the first time after Argentina beat France on penalties.
He leaves the national team as its most decorated and most productive player by a wide margin. Messi retires with 207 appearances and 125 goals, both Argentina records, having first worn the captain’s armband in 2011.
His trophy haul with the Albiceleste includes the 2022 World Cup, back-to-back Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, the 2022 Finalissima, an Olympic gold medal in 2008, and the U-20 World Cup in 2005. He played in six World Cups for Argentina and is one of only two men alongside Brazil’s Cafu to appear in three World Cup finals. His 21 World Cup goals rank second all-time, behind only France’s Kylian Mbappé.
It is not the first time Messi has walked away from international duty. He briefly retired in 2016 after Argentina lost three straight finals two Copa Américas and the 2014 World Cup before reversing the decision and going on to deliver the trophies that had eluded him for so long.
Messi’s father’s death last month appears to have accelerated a decision he had already been contemplating. Following Jorge Messi’s passing, the player admitted he had “serious doubts” about continuing to play football “of any sort” for much longer, fueling speculation about his club future as well as his international career.
That club future, at least, remains unresolved. Messi’s contract with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami runs through the end of the 2028 season, and his Instagram post made no mention of stepping away from club football.
