Buenos Aires. Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football with Argentina, bringing an end to a 21-year career with the national team that included a World Cup triumph and two Copa América titles.
The 39-year-old Inter Miami forward made the announcement on Monday in an emotional Instagram post, saying the decision was painful but that he believed the time had come to step away.
Messi said he had given everything to Argentina throughout his career and that younger players deserved the opportunity to take his place.
“I have given everything I had; I have nothing left to give,” Messi said in the statement, according to reports of his post.
The announcement comes weeks after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in extra time in the 2026 World Cup final, with Messi captaining the team in what became his final international appearance.
Messi leaves Argentina as the country's most capped player, having made 207 appearances and scored 125 goals. He made his senior debut in 2005 and went on to become the central figure in Argentina's most successful period in decades.
His greatest achievement with the national team came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Argentina defeated France on penalties in a dramatic final. He also helped the country win the Copa América in 2021 and 2024.
His international career was not without disappointment. Messi lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and suffered defeats in the 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals before finally ending Argentina's long wait for a major trophy.
Argentina's run to the 2026 World Cup final extended that remarkable era, although Spain ultimately denied Messi a second World Cup title.
The decision also follows the death of Messi's father, Jorge Messi, earlier this month. Messi had previously said his father's death had caused him to question whether he wanted to continue playing football.
In his farewell message, Messi thanked his family, coaches, teammates, officials and supporters, saying he would now support Argentina from outside the team as another fan.
The retirement had been the subject of speculation even before the World Cup. Earlier this month, Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia said Messi alone would decide when to end his international career.
Messi's departure marks the end of one of the defining chapters in Argentina's football history. After years of criticism and near misses, he leaves having delivered the major international trophies that had once seemed beyond his reach.
He will continue his club career with Inter Miami, where he remains one of the world's most productive players. On Sunday, just a day before his Argentina announcement, Messi scored four goals and provided an assist in Inter Miami's 7-1 victory over CF Montréal, taking his MLS tally to 18 goals for the season.
For Argentina, however, the era of Messi in the national team is now officially over.
