Lionel Messi officially announced his retirement from the Argentina national team on Monday, closing the book on one of the greatest international careers in soccer history. The announcement, posted on his social media accounts, comes roughly six weeks after Argentina’s heartbreaking 1-0 extra-time loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
“After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I’m retiring from the national team,” he posted. “It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep inside, but I understand that this is the right moment. I swear I always gave everything, not only in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything for this shirt, to bring you happiness and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.”
Messi, long criticized for this inability to win anything with the national team, guided the team to a historic run over the last five years, which including winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup, sandwiched between winning two Copa America titles.