GOAT Messi announces Argentina retirement: “I gave everything I had”

Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from Argentina’s national team, calling it a painful decision that he now believes must be made.

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I want to announce that I am retiring from the national team.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Messi said he had thought extensively about his future since the end of the World Cup final. “I want to announce that I am retiring from the national team,” he said.

The Argentina captain said the decision had hurt him and continued to weigh heavily. But he added that he understood the time had come. Messi said he had always given everything for the team, not only during the recent years in which he achieved all his major goals, but throughout his international career.

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I always gave everything I had.

“I always gave everything I had,” Messi said. He described his effort as a commitment to the Argentina shirt and to giving supporters joy and pride in being Argentine through football. He added that he loved representing the national team and would continue to love it, even after stepping away.

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I loved playing for the national team, I have loved it, and I always will.