BREAKING: Lionel Messi Announces Retirement From International Football

Argentina football legend Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to an extraordinary career with the national team that spanned more than two decades.

The 39-year-old made the announcement on Monday, August 31, 2026, following Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Messi said the decision was painful but insisted that he believes it is the right time to step away from the national team.

“After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I’m retiring from the national team,” Messi said in an emotional statement.

“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep inside, but I understand that this is the right moment.”

The Argentine captain said he had given everything to the national team throughout his career and had always been determined to make his country and its supporters proud.

“I love, I loved, and I will always love being part of the national team. I gave everything I had, and I don’t have anything more to give,” he said.

Messi also pointed to the emergence of a new generation of Argentine footballers, saying young players coming through deserve the opportunity to represent the country.

“There are great young players coming through who deserve to be here,” he said.

Messi made his senior debut for Argentina in 2005 and went on to become the country’s most-capped player and all-time leading scorer, making 207 appearances and scoring 125 goals.

His international career included the 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar and Copa América victories in 2021 and 2024. He also led Argentina to the 2026 World Cup final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Spain.

The decision comes shortly after the death of Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, earlier in August. Messi said the events surrounding his father’s death further strengthened his resolve to retire from international football.

According to Messi, he had already written his farewell message on July 21, two days after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat, but did not immediately publish it.

He said developments that followed, including the loss of his father, made him even more convinced that stepping away was the right decision.

Despite ending his international career, Messi is leaving Argentina duty with a legacy that includes a World Cup title, two Copa América trophies, 125 goals and more than 200 appearances for the national team.

He thanked his teammates, coaches, officials, family and supporters for accompanying him throughout the journey and said he would continue to support Argentina from outside the squad.

“Now I’ll be one of you, always supporting from the outside, in the good times and even more in the bad ones,” Messi said.

Messi said he was leaving the national team with “peace and pride” after what he described as a beautiful but difficult journey.

His retirement marks the end of one of the most remarkable international careers in football history.