Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from the Argentina national team after more than 20 years of international football. The 39-year-old said he had made the decision after the 2026 World Cup final, while his father’s death only strengthened his conviction that it was the right step.
Messi announced the decision in a post on Instagram.
“After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I am retiring from the national team,” Messi wrote.
He said the decision had been and remained deeply painful, but that he felt the time had come to close this chapter of his career.
“I swear to you that I always gave everything. Not only in the last few years, when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything I had for this shirt, to bring you joy and make you proud to be Argentine through football,” the player said.
Messi admitted that saying goodbye to the national team was especially difficult for him.
“I loved, I love and I will always love being with the national team. I gave everything I had, I have nothing more to give. And there are also some great young players coming through who deserve to be here,” he wrote.
The footballer thanked supporters for their backing over the past two decades and said he would now support Argentina as just another fan.
Messi also thanked his family, coaches, teammates and officials with whom he had shared his international career.
“I leave with peace of mind and pride that, together with my teammates, we gave you moments we once dreamed of. It was crazy to live all of this with you,” Messi added.
At the end of his message, Messi clarified that he had written these words on July 21, two days after the 2026 World Cup final.
“Today, after what happened with my dad, I am even more convinced than before,” he added.
Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, died on August 8 at the age of 68 after a long illness.
Messi made his senior debut for Argentina in 2005. He went on to make a record 207 appearances for the national team, won the 2022 World Cup and lifted the Copa America twice.
