Messi’s Argentina career closes after a World Cup, two Copa América titles and a record haul

Lionel Messi’s retirement from Argentina closes a national-team career that began with an expulsion seconds after his debut and ended after more than two decades of records and trophies.

Messi first appeared for Argentina in a friendly against Hungary in August 2005. By the end of his international career, he had played 207 matches, scored 125 goals and provided 68 assists. Those figures made him the most prolific and most-used player in the history of the Albiceleste, ahead of figures such as Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Ángel Di María and Javier Mascherano.

His goal total more than doubled Batistuta’s 54 and tripled Sergio Aguero’s 41. Messi also appeared at six World Cups, a record shared only with Cristiano Ronaldo. He played 34 World Cup matches, more than any other player, and led the tournament in minutes played, victories and starts.

At the World Cup, Messi scored 21 goals, one fewer than Kylian Mbappe, and recorded 12 assists, the most in the competition’s history. His highest point came in Qatar in 2022, when Argentina won the World Cup.

His record with Argentina extended beyond the World Cup. Messi scored 14 goals in 39 Copa América matches, ranking second behind Norberto Méndez, and scored 36 goals in 72 South American qualifying appearances. He also supplied two assists in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Italy in the 2022 Finalissima.

The major senior titles came after a long wait. Messi won the under-20 World Cup in 2005 and Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008, but Argentina’s senior drought ended only in 2021, when he led the team to the Copa América title at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium. That victory ended a 28-year wait for the national side.