Argentina great Messi announces international retirement

Lionel Messi has announced the end of his international career after 21 years with Argentina, closing a chapter that brought the country its third World Cup title in 2022.

The 39-year-old captain made the announcement in a statement on Instagram. He had previously indicated that he was considering retirement after the death of his father at the beginning of August.

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I want to announce to everyone that I am retiring from the National Team.

Messi made his senior Argentina debut at 18. He went on to win 207 caps and score 125 goals. His final campaign included a place in this summer’s World Cup final, where Argentina lost to Spain.

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It is a decision that hurt, and still hurts, to my core, but I understand that it's the right time.

“I want to announce to everyone that I am retiring from the National Team,” Messi wrote. He described the decision as painful but said he understood that it was the right time.

“I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you proud to be Argentinian through football,” he said. Messi thanked his family, coaches, teammates and managers, and said young players deserved the opportunity to come through. He added that he would now support Argentina from the sidelines.

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I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you proud to be Argentinian through football.