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Lionel Messi retires from Argentina national team: “I gave everything”
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic /Sports

Lionel Messi retires from Argentina national team: “I gave everything”

From Diario Libre · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Messi announced his retirement from Argentina less than two months after the team lost to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
  • The Inter Miami forward said the decision hurt but that he believed it was time to close that chapter.
  • Argentina’s all-time leading scorer leaves the team after more than 200 appearances, 125 goals and 68 assists.

Lionel Messi says he has reached the end of his Argentina career. The 39-year-old forward announced his retirement on Instagram, less than two months after Argentina lost the 2026 World Cup final to Spain.

After thinking about it a lot since the final, I want to tell everyone that I am retiring from the national team.

— Lionel MessiMessi announced his decision to leave Argentina’s national team.

“After thinking about it a lot since the final, I want to tell everyone that I am retiring from the national team,” Messi wrote. He said the decision “hurt and hurts in the soul,” but added that he understood “it is the moment.”

Messi, who plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, said he felt he had given everything and that younger players were ready to take their opportunity. “I gave everything, I have nothing more to give, and besides, there are very good young players coming through who deserve to be there,” he wrote.

It hurt and hurts in the soul, but I understand that it is the moment.

— Lionel MessiHe described the emotional difficulty of retiring while saying he believed the timing was right.

The captain leaves as Argentina’s leading scorer, with more than 200 appearances, 125 goals and 68 assists. He won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and two Copa América titles, in 2021 and 2024.

I gave everything, I have nothing more to give, and besides, there are very good young players coming through who deserve to be there.

— Lionel MessiMessi explained his decision and pointed to younger players.

Messi said he was retiring with “the peace of mind and pride” of having given supporters unforgettable moments. He thanked Argentines for their affection over 20 years and ended his message by writing, “Thank God for making me Argentine.” He also said his father’s death earlier this month helped convince him to leave the national team.

Thank God for making me Argentine.

— Lionel MessiHe closed his farewell message by expressing his attachment to Argentina.
About this summary

Originally published by Diario Libre in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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