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Messi Leaves Argentina With a Record-Breaking Legacy Image: AFP
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Messi Leaves Argentina With a Record-Breaking Legacy

From El Universal · () Spanish

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

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Lionel Messi announced his farewell from Argentina’s national team in an emotional letter posted on social media.
  • The 39-year-old leaves as Argentina’s record holder for appearances, goals and assists, among numerous World Cup and Copa América marks.
  • Messi reached the World Cup final against Spain in his last tournament, which Argentina lost by a single goal.

Lionel Messi’s departure from Argentina’s national team marks the end of a record-filled era for the Albiceleste. The farewell surprised millions of fans after the forward announced his decision in an emotional letter on social media.

Messi, 39, played his final World Cup that summer and reached the final against Spain, which Argentina lost by a single goal. The tournament added to a legacy that the article describes as historic.

His national-team records include 207 appearances, 125 goals and 68 assists. He also holds the marks for World Cup appearances, with 34, and World Cup goals, with 21. He played in six World Cups and served as Argentina’s captain 147 times.

The list also credits Messi with 39 Copa América appearances, 134 victories, 11 hat tricks for Argentina and 17 doubles. He has scored against 45 different countries and has 12 World Cup assists. Other records include 3,054 World Cup minutes, 16 World Cup MVP awards and 11 finals played.

The figures extend to his role as captain and creator. Messi made 26 World Cup starts, captained Argentina in three World Cup finals and appeared in 24 consecutive World Cup matches. He also scored 18 international goals in one year and five goals in a single match.

About this summary

Originally published by El Universal 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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