Lionel Messi has retired from international football after more than two decades with Argentina, bringing an end to a record-breaking career in which he led his country to the 2022 World Cup and two Copa América titles.
The 39-year-old announced his decision on Instagram on Monday, 31 August, saying he understood that “the time has come”. Messi leaves as Argentina’s most-capped player and leading scorer, with 207 appearances and 125 goals for the national team.
His final tournament ended in disappointment when Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey on 19 July. Messi had hoped to complete his international career with another world title, but the defeat denied him a fairytale farewell.
In a statement accompanying a photograph of a handwritten letter, Messi said the decision had been painful but insisted he had always given everything for the national shirt.
“I swear to you that I always gave it my all – not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too,” he wrote. “I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.”
Messi said he had written the letter on 21 July, two days after the World Cup final, but delayed publishing it while his father, Jorge Messi, was seriously ill. Jorge Messi died in Rosario on 8 August, aged 68.
The forward’s relationship with Argentina had once been marked by repeated disappointment. He lost the 2014 World Cup final and successive Copa América finals before finally winning his first major international trophy in 2021, followed by World Cup glory in Qatar the following year.
He added a second Copa América title in 2024 and went on to captain Argentina at a sixth World Cup. His achievements eventually moved him out of the shadow of Diego Maradona, the country’s 1986 World Cup-winning captain, and established him as one of Argentina’s defining sporting figures.
“Thank you for all the love these past 20 years,” Messi said. “I’m going to miss hearing you all from the inside so much. Now I’m going to be one of you, cheering and supporting you from the outside.”
Messi has not announced his retirement from club football. He remains captain of Inter Miami, for whom he scored four goals in a 7-1 victory over CF Montréal at the weekend.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had described Messi as “pure history” and “a legend” during the recent World Cup. The forward did not say how long he intends to continue playing professionally, but he said he was leaving the national team with “the peace of mind and pride” of having shared moments that had once seemed impossible.
