End of an era: Lionel Messi announces retirement from international football

Buenos Aires: Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football with Argentina, bringing an end to one of the most decorated careers in the history of the national team.

The 39-year-old Inter Miami forward's decision comes after he captained Argentina to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where the defending champions lost 1-0 to Spain after extra time. Messi extended his record for World Cup appearances to 34 matches during the tournament.

Messi's international career had already entered its final phase before the 2026 World Cup. In September 2025, he described Argentina's World Cup qualifier against Venezuela as his last qualifying match at home, while leaving open the possibility of playing friendlies or other games.

The Argentina captain ultimately returned for the 2026 tournament and continued to rewrite World Cup records. He became the first player to appear in the knockout stage of six World Cups and reached 30 appearances at the tournament during Argentina's campaign. FIFA later recorded his total at 34.

Messi made his World Cup debut as a teenager in 2006 and went on to play at five World Cups. He holds the record for the most World Cup appearances and scored 21 goals in the competition, another all-time record.

His greatest international triumph came at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when he finally lifted the trophy after Argentina defeated France in the final. He also led Argentina to Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024, ending years of disappointment with the national team. FIFA noted that by the time of his retirement, Messi had won the World Cup and two Copa America titles with Argentina.

The road to those successes had been difficult. Messi endured major setbacks with Argentina, including defeats in the 2014 World Cup final and the 2015 and 2016 Copa America finals. After the 2016 defeat to Chile, he briefly announced his international retirement before returning to the national team.