Messi announces retirement from Argentina national team

Lionel Messi has ended his Argentina career after the 2026 World Cup final, saying the decision brought him deep pain but that he understood the time had come.

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After this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I am retiring from the national team. It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deeply, but I understand that the time has come.

The Inter Miami forward announced his retirement in a letter shared on Instagram. He said he had thought carefully about the decision since the final, which Spain won 1-0. The letter was written on July 21, two days after the match.

Messi said he had always given everything for the Argentina shirt, not only during the years when the team won major honors. He described his commitment as a fight to bring supporters joy and make them proud to be Argentine through football.

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I swear I always gave everything, not only in the last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave my all for this shirt, to bring you joy and make you proud to be Argentine through football.

He also said the death of his father, Jorge Messi, reaffirmed his decision. Thanking supporters for two decades of affection, Messi said he would miss hearing them from inside the stadium. He added that he would now support the team from outside, in good times and bad.

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Thank you for all the affection over these 20 years. I will miss hearing you from inside. Now I will be one of you, always supporting from outside, in good times and bad, even more so.

The message ended with Messi saying he was leaving calmly and proudly after giving Argentina, alongside his teammates, “dreamed-of moments.” He closed by writing, “Thank God for making me Argentine. Vamos Argentina!”

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Thank God for making me Argentine. Vamos Argentina!