Lionel Messi has retired from international football after 207 appearances and a record 125 goals for Argentina. The 39-year-old leaves the national team after winning the 2022 World Cup and two Copa América titles.
BUENOS AIRES | By Sayer Zaland
Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on Monday, bringing an end to a 21-year senior career with Argentina.
The forward departs as his country’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 matches, according to Reuters. FIFA also confirmed the decision.
Messi said the decision “hurt — and still hurts deep down,” but that he believed the time had come to close his international chapter. He said he was leaving with pride after giving everything he could to the national team.
His retirement follows Argentina’s 1-0 extra-time defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final. Messi had been seeking to lead Argentina to consecutive world titles after captaining the team to victory in Qatar in 2022.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s international career also included Copa América triumphs in 2021 and 2024. Those victories followed years of disappointment, including defeat in the 2014 World Cup final and losses in consecutive Copa América finals.
Messi made his senior Argentina debut in 2005. He briefly announced his international retirement after the 2016 Copa América final before returning and eventually leading the country through its most successful period in decades.
The Argentine Football Association thanked its captain and said his legacy and professionalism would remain part of the national team’s history. Messi’s decision concerns international football only; he remains an Inter Miami player.
Photo: Lionel Messi in action for Argentina against Germany at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Credit: Saadick Dhansay/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized to 800×522.
