On Monday, August 31, Lionel Messi dropped a bombshell on fans and fellow footballers across the globe by announcing his retirement from international football. Messi, in an emotional Instagram post, revealed that he had made up his mind following the loss from Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, but it was his father, Jorge Messi, death that prompted him to finally call time on his career. The 39-year-old went on to say that he doesn’t have anything more to give to Argentina.
In his retirement post, Messi wrote, “After the time that has passed since the final, and after giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the Argentina national team…”
“It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; 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.”
“Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team. I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here.”
“Thank you for all the affection over these past 20 years. I will miss hearing you from the pitch so much. Now I’ll be just one of you, cheering and supporting from the outside (through the good times and the bad — especially the bad),” he went on to write.
Messi Retires as Argentina’s All-Time Leading Goal Scorer and Most Capped Player
Lionel Messi has retired as the all-time leading goal scorer for Argentina with 125 goals in 207 games. He is also the highest-scoring man in South American soccer history. Earlier in 2022, he led the side to World Cup win by defeating a Kylian Mbappe-powered side, marking the country’s first in 36 years and third overall. Not only this, but he has also led Argentina to two Copa America titles, in 2021 and 2024. The first Copa America title ended Argentina’s 28-year-old trophy drought. Messi had announced his international retirement in 2016 after captaining Argentina in three successive finals but failing to win any of them.
However, he reversed his decision not long after to eventually lead the team to Copa America victories as well as World Cup triumph. Following his retirement, the Argentine’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo paid a tribute to him. She wrote, “I saw you keep going when things didn’t work out and always try again. And after so many years, I was also lucky enough to see you fulfill your dreams and live some of the happiest days of our lives. You deserved this story and so much more. We love you infinitely.”
