Lionel Messi has retired from international football at 39, ending a 21-year Argentina career that included a World Cup triumph and cemented his status among the greatest players in the history of the game.
Messi announced his decision on Monday in a post on Instagram, saying it was painful but that he understood the time had come to leave the national team.
“It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deeply — but I understand that the time has come,” Messi said.
The Argentina captain finishes his international career with 207 appearances and 125 goals, both national records. He scored 21 goals at the World Cup and played in a record-tying six editions of the tournament.
Messi made his senior Argentina debut in 2005 at the age of 18, two months after helping the country win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. His first senior appearance lasted only two minutes after he was sent off shortly after coming on against Hungary.
His early years with Argentina were marked by repeated disappointment. He reached the 2014 World Cup final and lost to Germany, then retired briefly from international football in 2016 after Argentina suffered another Copa América final defeat by Chile on penalties.
He returned to the national team and eventually helped Argentina win the Copa América in 2021, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and another Copa América title in 2024.
Argentina also reached the World Cup final this year, but lost to Spain in extra time.
Messi said he wrote his retirement message on July 21, two days after that final, but delayed posting it because his father, Jorge Messi, was facing health problems. Jorge Messi died on Aug. 8.
“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 will continue playing club football with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. He has not said when he plans to retire from the professional game.
Messi also remains an eight-time world player of the year. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has described him as “pure history” and “a legend.”
