The end of an era. Lionel Messi has officially retired from international football with Argentina, bringing the curtain down on one of the greatest national-team careers the game has ever witnessed.
At 39, Messi has decided that the time has come to step away from the Argentina shirt after more than two decades of representing his country. His final appearance came in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where Argentina lost 1–0 to Spain after reaching the final for the second consecutive tournament.
Messi leaves the international stage as Argentina’s record appearance holder, having represented the country 207 times and scored 125 goals. His journey began in 2005 and took him through six World Cups, multiple Copa América campaigns and some of the most painful moments in Argentine football before ultimately producing the greatest prize of all.
For years, international glory appeared to be the one missing piece in Messi’s extraordinary career. He suffered defeat in the 2014 World Cup final and endured painful Copa América disappointments before finally ending the wait by leading Argentina to the 2021 Copa América title. A year later came another historic triumph as Argentina defeated Italy in the Finalissima before Messi finally lifted the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Argentina’s success continued with another Copa América triumph in 2024, while Messi returned for one final World Cup campaign in 2026 and led his country all the way to the final before Spain ended their hopes.
Messi’s relationship with Argentina was once complicated. He endured years of criticism after falling short in major international finals, and in 2016 he briefly announced his retirement from the national team after another Copa América final defeat.
But he returned.
And when he did, history changed.
He eventually delivered the trophies Argentina had desperately wanted and transformed his international legacy from one of heartbreaking near-misses into one of complete triumph.
Now, the player who once carried the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders will watch Argentina from the sidelines.
He leaves international football as a World Cup champion, two-time Copa América champion, record goalscorer, record appearance holder and one of the most influential players ever to wear the famous blue and white shirt.
The Argentina No. 10 will eventually belong to someone else.
The captain’s armband will move on.
A new generation will take the field.
But for more than 20 years, whenever Argentina needed magic, millions of people looked for one man.
Lionel Messi.
And now, for Argentina, the search begins for football after Messi.