Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to a remarkable Argentina career in which he led his country to the 2022 World Cup title and two Copa America triumphs.
The 39-year-old confirmed on Monday that he would no longer play for Argentina after a career that transformed him from a figure once questioned by sections of his own country’s supporters into the central figure of one of the most successful periods in the national team’s history.
Messi leaves as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and goalscorer, with 125 goals in 207 international matches. His final major tournament ended with Argentina reaching the 2026 World Cup final, where they were beaten by Spain.
“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul but I understand that the time has come,” Messi wrote as he announced his decision.
The announcement closes a national team career that stretched across more than two decades and included some of the highest and most difficult moments of his football life.
From international disappointment to Argentina’s defining era
Messi’s relationship with the Argentina national team was not always straightforward. Despite his extraordinary success at club level, repeated defeats in major international finals left him under intense scrutiny for much of his career.
Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final before suffering Copa America final defeats in 2015 and 2016. Messi briefly announced his international retirement after the 2016 loss before returning to the national team.
The turning point came with Argentina’s Copa America victory in 2021, ending a 28-year wait for a major senior international trophy. The triumph was followed by the Finalissima and then the country’s most significant success of the modern era at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Messi captained Argentina throughout their World Cup triumph, scoring seven goals during the tournament as they defeated France on penalties after a dramatic final.
Argentina added another Copa America title in 2024, ensuring Messi’s international career ended with a collection of major trophies that had once appeared beyond his reach.
His final World Cup campaign in 2026 ended differently, with Argentina falling to Spain in the final, but Messi’s decision to step away now brings a clear conclusion to one of the longest and most successful international careers in modern football.
Messi leaves as Argentina’s record scorer
Beyond the trophies, Messi’s numbers underline the scale of his contribution. His 125 international goals make him Argentina’s all-time leading scorer, while his 207 appearances also place him first in the country’s history.
He represented Argentina at six World Cups and became the defining figure of a generation that restored the country to the summit of international football.
Messi also won Olympic gold with Argentina in 2008 and played a leading role in the team’s emergence from years of near misses to a sustained period of success.
His international legacy is now inseparable from Argentina’s triumph in Qatar, where the country’s long wait for a third World Cup came to an end 36 years after Diego Maradona inspired the 1986 victory.
FIFA’s record of Messi’s international career and achievements can be found on its official World Cup coverage.
What comes next for Argentina?
Argentina now face the challenge of moving into a new era without the player who shaped their identity for much of the past two decades.
Messi’s departure leaves a significant leadership and creative gap, although Argentina have developed a younger generation of players capable of carrying the team forward after their run to the 2026 World Cup final.
For Messi, the decision ends his international career but does not necessarily mark the end of his club career. His focus now turns away from the Argentina shirt he wore through periods of frustration, redemption and ultimately historic success.
He leaves with the achievements that once defined the missing chapter of his career complete: a World Cup, two Copa America titles and a place at the centre of one of Argentina’s greatest footballing eras.
For Argentina supporters, Monday’s announcement marks the end of a chapter that began with enormous expectation and concluded with Messi leaving as the country’s most decorated and statistically accomplished international footballer.
