Argentina legend Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 39, ending an illustrious 20-year career with the national team that included the 2022 World Cup triumph and two Copa América titles.
Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi waves as he leaves the pitch after winning the 2026 World Cup Group J football match between Argentina and Austria at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on June 22, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Argentina’s greatest football icon, Lionel Messi, has officially announced his retirement from international football, drawing the curtain on a legendary 21-year career with the national team.
The 39-year-old Inter Miami forward broke the news in an emotional Instagram post on Monday, sharing a handwritten notebook entry that revealed he had actually penned the decision weeks earlier — on July 21, just two days after Argentina’s heartbreaking 1-0 extra-time loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
“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 wrote. “It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep inside, but I understand that this is the right moment.”
In a poignant footnote added to the original message, Messi revealed that the recent passing of his father, Jorge Messi — who died on August 8 at age 68 in Rosario, Argentina — had strengthened his resolve. “Today, after what happened with my dad, I am even more convinced than before,” he wrote.
The Barcelona legend made his senior Argentina debut back in 2005 and went on to become the country’s all-time leading scorer, captaining La Albiceleste through some of the most dramatic chapters in their football history. He ended Argentina’s 28-year trophy drought by lifting the 2021 Copa América, then delivered the nation’s dream in 2022 by finally winning the FIFA World Cup. He added another Copa América title in 2024 before leading Argentina back to a World Cup final in 2026, where they narrowly fell to Spain.
This is not the first time Messi has walked away from international duty — he briefly retired in 2016 following a Copa América final defeat before a nationwide campaign convinced him to return. This time, however, appears final.
“I swear I always gave everything, not only in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too,” Messi said. “I always fought and gave everything for this shirt, to bring you happiness and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.”
Tributes have already begun pouring in from teammates, rivals, and football authorities worldwide as one of the sport’s greatest careers officially comes to a close on the international stage.
Follow Scooplounge for more updates on this developing story.
