Lionel Messi announced Monday that he is retiring from the Argentina national team, bringing an end to an international career that spanned more than two decades and included a World Cup title and two Copa América triumphs.
“After the time that has passed since the final, and after giving it a lot of thought, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the National Team,” Messi said in a statement published Monday.
Lionel Messi
(Photo: IMAGO)
The 39-year-old said the decision was painful but that he believed the time had come to step away. “It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deep down, but I understand that the time has come,” he said.
Messi leaves as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer. Earlier this year, the Argentine Football Association said he had reached 120 international goals in 200 appearances. He captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar and later helped the team retain the Copa América.
His retirement comes weeks after Argentina finished runner-up at the 2026 World Cup. Messi had already indicated that the tournament would be his last World Cup, though Argentine Football Association President Claudio Tapia said earlier this month that the decision on whether to continue with the national team belonged entirely to Messi.
Messi had previously retired from international football in 2016 after Argentina lost the Copa América final to Chile, only to reverse that decision weeks later. This time, however, his statement presented the move as the conclusion of his career with the national side.
His departure closes one of the most decorated international careers in football history, one that transformed from years of frustration in major finals into an era defined by Argentina’s World Cup and Copa América successes.