The End of an Era: Lionel Messi’s Argentina Story

Lionel Messi’s Argentina career began with years of frustration and ended with nearly every major trophy in his collection. After 21 years with the senior national team, the 37-year-old confirmed his retirement in an emotional message.

Messi leaves as Argentina’s leading scorer, with 125 goals, and its most-capped player, with 207 appearances. He debuted in 2005 at age 18 and scored his first international goal a year later in a friendly against Croatia.

The road to his greatest successes included repeated comparisons with Diego Armando Maradona and painful defeats in major finals. Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany and consecutive Copa América finals to Chile in 2015 and 2016. After the 2016 defeat on penalties in New Jersey, a visibly broken Messi announced, "It’s over for me with the national team." He returned months later after a public outcry and his own desire for another chance.

Under coach Lionel Scaloni, Messi took on a leading role and guided a new generation of players to end Argentina’s 28-year wait for a major title. The team won the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima and the 2022 World Cup, where Messi scored seven goals, including two in the final against France, and lifted Argentina’s third world title. He later won the 2024 Copa América, his last major tournament with the team.

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It’s over for me with the national team.