Lionel Messi retires from Argentina’s national team

Argentina must look for a new talisman after Lionel Messi decided to end a national-team career that lasted about two decades.

Messi announced the decision in an Instagram post. The 39-year-old forward finishes with 207 appearances and 125 goals for Argentina, a record of longevity and production that made him the defining figure of the team’s modern era.

His biggest achievement came at the 2022 World Cup, when he led Argentina to its first world title since 1986. That earlier triumph belonged to a team led by Diego Maradona, the superstar who preceded Messi as the country’s central football figure.

Argentina and Messi reached another World Cup final this summer but lost to Spain 1-0 after extra time. The defeat echoed Argentina’s 2014 final, when Germany won by the same score after extra time. Messi’s departure follows two World Cup final losses as well as the title that completed his international legacy.