August 31, 2026

Lionel Messi has retires from international football

Lionel Messi has retired from international football, bringing the curtain down on his Argentina career after falling short in the World Cup final in July.

Perhaps the greatest player of all time, Messi had been hoping to lead his side to back-to-back World Cup triumphs but suffered a 1-nil defeat to Spain in extra time.

The 39-year-old made 207 appearances for his country, the second most by any men’s international footballer, scoring 125 times across a career that spanned more than two decades.

Messi revealed he decided to retire two days after argentina’s defeat to Spain in the World Cup final on July 19, but then delayed announcing his decision.

Today, on Instagram, messi wrote: “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 was named player of the 2022 tournament after captaining argentina to world cup glory in 2022 in qatar, having also earned the Golden Ball in 2014 following the first of three final appearances.

He finishes his career as the second-leading world cup goalscorer behind Kylian Mbappé, after the pair each surpassed Miroslav Klose’s record tally during the tournament.

An eight-time ballon d’or winner and Barcelona Icon, Messi has continued playing for inter Miami in Major League Soccer, scoring four goals in a 7-1 win over Montreal on Saturday.