Lionel Messi retires from international football after 21 years with Argentina

Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, ending a 21-year Argentina career that included the 2022 World Cup title and left him as his country's most-capped player and all-time leading goalscorer.

The 39-year-old made the announcement on Monday, 31 August 2026, posting an image of a handwritten letter to his Instagram account alongside the text.

"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 wrote.

He described the decision as painful but necessary. "It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts deep down, but I understand that the time has come," he said.

Messi will continue playing at club level with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, where his contract runs to the end of the 2028 season. He did not say how long he intends to continue.

A career defined by records

Messi played 207 matches for Argentina and scored 125 goals, both national records. Only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 146, has scored more in men's international football, and Ronaldo has not announced his retirement from national-team duty.

Twenty-one of those goals came at World Cups, placing Messi second in the tournament's all-time scoring list behind France's Kylian Mbappe, who has 22. Messi briefly held the record during the recent tournament before Mbappe overtook him.

He also finishes with 12 career World Cup assists, of which 10 came in knockout matches. No other player on record has more than eight in total.

Messi is an eight-time winner of the world player of the year award.

From a two-minute debut to a World Cup

Messi made his senior Argentina debut in 2005 at the age of 18, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 2-1 friendly win over Hungary in Budapest.

His first appearance lasted less than two minutes. He was shown a straight red card after his arm caught full-back Vilmos Vanczak.

The debut followed his performance at that year's world under-20 championship, where he scored both Argentine goals in the final.

His international career was marked by long frustration before its late success. Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final and successive Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016.

Messi first retired from international football in 2016, after Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile on penalties. He missed one of the spot-kicks.

"It's been four finals, and I was not able to win," he told reporters at the time.

He reversed the decision after a public campaign inside Argentina, backed by Diego Maradona and then-president Mauricio Macri.

The turnaround produced the Copa America title in 2021, the Finalissima against Italy in 2022, the World Cup in Qatar later that year, and a further Copa America in 2024.

Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 final in Lusail on 18 December 2022, in a tournament Messi dominated.

Argentina reached the final again this year but lost to Spain in extra time in New Jersey. Messi scored eight goals and registered four assists across the tournament.

A letter delayed by family loss

Messi disclosed that he wrote his retirement letter on 21 July 2026, two days after the World Cup final. He delayed publishing it because his father was seriously ill.

Jorge Messi, who also acted as his son's agent, died on 8 August 2026 in Rosario at the age of 68 following a long illness.

"Today, after what happened with my dad, I am more convinced than ever," Messi wrote.

Earlier in August, Messi had said he was reconsidering his footballing future in a tribute to his father.

In his statement he addressed supporters directly. "Thank you for all the affection over these past 20 years. I will miss hearing you from the pitch so much," he wrote.

"Now I'll be just one of you, cheering and supporting from the outside, through the good times and the bad, especially the bad."

He also cited the emergence of younger players. "I've given everything I had, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here," he said.

Reaction from across the game

Argentine President Javier Milei wrote on Instagram: "Thank you very much, impossible man."

FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Messi for a career that he said had inspired millions and redefined the sport, adding that his talent and humility would be remembered.

The Argentine Football Association wrote: "Thank you for everything, Leo. Thank you for making us dream." The men's national team said it would love him until the end of its days.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had described him during the recent World Cup as "pure history".

Inter Miami and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul pointed to Messi's leadership and his refusal to give up. Leandro Paredes called him the greatest of all time, while defender Cristian Romero thanked him for his impact on the country.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Sport, South American football writer Tim Vickery said two factors had hastened the decision: the death of Messi's father and the scale of the gap between Argentina and Spain in the final.

Vickery said a return to boyhood club Newell's Old Boys was unlikely to be more than a brief romantic gesture, citing family considerations in Rosario and the standard of football.

Messi's form has not obviously declined. He scored four goals for Inter Miami in a 7-1 win over CF Montreal at the weekend.