Lionel Messi: Announces his retirement from the Argentina national team after 21 years
Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from the Argentina national team after 21 years, ending a historic career with 207 appearances and 125 goals.
Lionel Messi
has announced his retirement from the
Argentina national team
, bringing to an end a journey of more than two decades
wearing his country's shirt. The Argentina captain made the decision at the age of 39
, a few weeks after the 2026 World Cup
, where his team reached the final and lost 1-0 to Spain after extra time
.
Messi's decision after the 2026 World Cup
Messi announced his decision through a message published on social media. As he revealed, he had written the message on
21 July
, two days after the World Cup final, having already concluded that the time had come to end his career with the Argentina national team. In his message, he explained that the decision was difficult, but he believes he has now given everything he could and that younger players should be given more space in the team.The decision had essentially been made immediately after the World Cup, but the death of his father,
Jorge Messi
, on 8 August made him, according to Messi himself, even more certain about his choice. His father had faced serious health problems during the World Cup.Messi's final match for Argentina was therefore the final against Spain. Lionel Scaloni's team was unable to retain the title it had won in Qatar, with Spain prevailing
1-0
, thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres
in extra time. In this way, Messi completed the sixth and final World Cup of his career
.
From missed opportunities to major titles with Argentina
Messi's journey with the Argentina national team began in
2005
and for a long period was accompanied by the pressure of comparisons with Diego Maradona
and the team's inability to win a major title. Argentina lost the Copa América
final in 2007
, the World Cup
final in 2014
and two more Copa América
finals in 2015
and 2016
.Following the defeat to
Chile
in 2016, Messi announced for the first time that he was retiring from the national team
. That decision did not prove to be final, and his return ultimately changed the course of his relationship with Argentina. In 2021
, he won his first major trophy with the senior national team, when Argentina defeated Brazil
in the Copa América
final at the Maracanã.That was followed by the
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
in 2022
and, above all, the World Cup
in Qatar
that same year. Messi was Argentina's captain and leading figure on the road to the country's first World Cup since 1986
. Another Copa América followed in 2024
, before his final attempt to win a second consecutive world title ended in the 2026 final.
The records he leaves behind with the Argentina national team
Messi retires as Argentina's all-time leader in both appearances and goals. His final tally stands at
207 appearances and 125 goals
, from his debut against Hungary in August 2005
to the 2026 World Cup final.His presence at World Cups also holds a special place in his career. Messi played in
six tournaments from 2006 to 2026
and finished his career with 34 World Cup appearances
, more than any other player. He scored a total of 21 World Cup goals
, briefly moving to the top of the all-time rankings during the 2026 tournament before being overtaken by Kylian Mbappé
, who reached 22 goals
.Retiring from the national team does not mean the end of his football career. Messi remains an
Inter Miami
player, with a contract running until the end of the 2028 season
. In fact, just a few days before announcing his decision regarding Argentina, he scored four goals and provided one assist in a 7-1 victory over Montreal
, taking his tally to 18 league goals this season
. At international level, however, his journey has come to an end after winning the most important titles and being associated with Argentina's most successful period in decades.
