KUALA LUMPUR — Lionel Messi has brought the curtain down on his international career after announcing his retirement from the Argentina national team after 21 years in the famous blue and white shirt.
The 39-year-old Argentina captain said the decision was painful but ultimately felt it was time to step aside and give a new generation of players the opportunity to represent the country.
“After much thought, I want to tell you all that I am retiring from the national team,” Messi said in a message posted on his social media accounts.
Messi admitted the decision “was painful and still hurts deeply”, but said he had come to understand that walking away was the right thing to do.
The forward revealed that he had written his retirement message on July 21, two days after Argentina’s 1-0 defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, but chose not to publish it at the time.
He said the subsequent death of his father, Jorge Messi, on Aug 8 further strengthened his decision to bring his international career to an end.
Messi said he had given everything he could “for the national team shirt and to make the fans happy”, adding that he had reached a point where he had nothing more to give.
“It is time to give younger players the opportunity to represent the country,” he said.
The Argentina icon also thanked the country’s supporters for standing by him throughout his career, while expressing gratitude to his family, coaches, teammates and officials who had accompanied him along the way.
Although he will no longer wear the Argentina shirt, Messi said he would continue to follow the team and cheer them on from outside the pitch.
Messi made 207 appearances for Argentina and scored 125 goals, making him the country’s most-capped player and all-time leading scorer.
More importantly, he transformed his international legacy after years of heartbreak by leading Argentina to three major titles in succession — the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America.
The 2022 World Cup triumph was particularly significant, ending Argentina’s 36-year wait for the sport’s biggest prize and finally delivering the trophy that had eluded Messi throughout much of his career.
At the 2026 World Cup, Messi once again led Argentina to the final, scoring eight goals during the tournament and taking his overall World Cup tally to 21.
He also became the first player to score at five consecutive editions of the World Cup, while France forward Kylian Mbappe moved ahead of him to 22 goals as the competition’s leading scorer. (China.org.cn)
Argentina’s latest World Cup campaign, however, ended in heartbreak as Spain secured a 1-0 victory after extra time. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute to hand Spain its second World Cup title. (Inside FIFA)
Messi’s international journey had begun with disappointment, including Argentina’s defeat by Germany in the 2014 World Cup final.
The years that followed, however, produced the defining achievements of his career with the national team.
He won the Copa America in 2021 before finally lifting the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, then added another Copa America title two years later.
Messi also claimed the World Cup Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player in both 2014 and 2022, further cementing his status among football’s all-time greats.
He leaves international football as an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, with an Olympic gold medal and a host of individual and team records.
His decision also comes less than a month after the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away on Aug 8 at the age of 68. (China.org.cn)
Jorge played a crucial role in his son’s journey from a promising young footballer to one of the most celebrated players in the history of the game, supporting him through the early stages of his career and his rise to global stardom.
After more than two decades, Messi leaves Argentina with a legacy that stretches far beyond his statistics — a World Cup, two Copa America titles, an Olympic gold medal and a generation of supporters who finally watched one of their greatest players deliver international glory.
Messi will continue his club career with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, where his contract runs until the end of the 2028 season. – September 1, 2026