Lionel Messi retires from Argentina international football

Messi announced his decision Monday in a social media post, saying he had reached the point where he had nothing more to give the national team. He had written the message shortly after the World Cup final but delayed publishing it following the recent death of his father, Jorge Messi. Messi made his senior Argentina debut in 2005 and finished his international career with 207 appearances and 125 goals, both national records.

Messi's international career included years of disappointment before Argentina's run of major titles. After losing the 2014 World Cup final and Copa América finals in 2015 and 2016, he briefly retired from international football before returning. He subsequently led Argentina to the 2021 Copa América title, the 2022 World Cup championship and another Copa América title in 2024. He played in six World Cups and finished his final tournament with eight goals as Argentina reached the final before losing to Spain.