Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from Argentina's national team, closing the most decorated international career in his country's history. The 39-year-old made his senior debut in 2005 and won 207 caps over 21 years. He said he wrote his farewell statement on July 21, two days after Argentina lost the World Cup final, and that the death of his father last month confirmed the moment had come to publish it.
"The time has come"
"It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deep down, but I understand that the time has come," Messi wrote. "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." The statement closes a career that carried the hopes of his country through golden years and painful near-misses.
A career of triumph and heartbreak
Messi's Argentina story had more than its share of heartbreak. He was a World Cup runner-up in 2014 in Brazil and again this summer, when Spain lifted the trophy. He lost three Copa America finals before finally winning the tournament in 2021, then added a second title in 2024. The high point came in Qatar in 2022, when he captained Argentina to the World Cup title, the country's first in 36 years, in one of the most watched finals the sport has seen.
A nation says goodbye
Argentina's national team now faces life without its greatest player. Messi's decision follows a summer in which he also voiced complaints about the Argentine football federation, and his departure leaves a young squad searching for a new leader. Tributes poured in from former teammates and rivals, who called him the face of a generation. For Argentine fans, the No. 10 jersey will never look quite the same.