Lionel Messi Announces Retirement From Argentina Team: “It Hurts Deeply, but I Leave at Peace”

Lionel Messi says he has emptied himself for Argentina and no longer has anything left to give. In a statement written two days after the final, he announced that he would retire from the national team, saying the decision “hurts deeply” but that he understood the time had come.

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It hurts deeply, but I understand that it is time.

Messi said he had always fought for the Argentina shirt, not only during the years when the team won everything, but throughout his entire international career. His stated aim was to bring joy to supporters and make Argentines proud through football.

He described the decision as the closing of a painful chapter. Messi said he had loved, still loved and would always love playing for Argentina, but added that younger players deserved their opportunity. He said he would now support the team from outside, in good times and bad.

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I emptied myself, I have nothing more to give, and there are also great young players coming through who deserve to be here.

The statement also carried a personal note. Messi said that after what happened to his father, he felt more convinced than before about the decision. He thanked his family for accompanying him through a journey he called beautiful but difficult, and thanked the coaches, teammates and officials with whom he shared unforgettable moments.

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Now I will be one more of you, supporting and backing the team from outside, in good times and bad, even more so.

Messi ended by saying he left with the peace and pride of having, together with his teammates, given supporters dream moments. He thanked God for making him Argentine and signed off with a call of “Vamos Argentina!”

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Thank God for making me Argentine. Vamos Argentina!