Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, ending his Argentina career after leading the team to back-to-back World Cup finals. The 39-year-old confirmed the decision on Instagram on Monday, saying it “hurt and still hurts deep in my soul” but that he understood it was “the right time.”
“I swear I always gave everything, not just in the last few years when we won everything but before that too, and I always fought and gave my all for this shirt,” Messi wrote. Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, beating France on penalties in the Doha final. Argentina returned to the final in July 2026 but lost 1-0 to Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
His father, Jorge Messi, died in August, after which Messi said he had “serious doubts” about continuing to play football “much longer.”Messi remains contracted to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer through the end of the 2028 season.
He leaves the national team as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 appearances.
