Lionel Messi Retires From International Football, Ending a Legendary 20-Year Journey With Argentina
Published on HivePostify by @cryptmastern · Mon Aug 31 2026
Lionel Messi has officially announced his retirement from international football, closing the book on one of the greatest international careers the sport has ever seen. The news came via a deeply personal Instagram post, in which Messi shared a handwritten letter revealing that he had actually written the announcement on July 21 — just two days after Argentina's heartbreaking loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final — but chose to hold onto it until now.
In the post, Messi explained what finally pushed him to share it: the recent death of his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away on August 8 in Rosario, Argentina, at the age of 68. "I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final," Messi wrote. "Today, after what happened with my dad, I am even more convinced than before." He added: "It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come."
Messi leaves the national team with a staggering legacy: 98 goals and 38 assists across 142 appearances over a 20-year international career that began when he was just a teenager. He played in six World Cups, reaching the final in 2014, 2022, and 2026 — but it was 2022 that delivered his crowning achievement, finally ending Argentina's 36-year wait for a World Cup title. That triumph, alongside Copa América wins in both 2021 and 2024, cemented his status as Argentina's greatest-ever player and, for many, the greatest footballer of all time.
It's a road that wasn't always smooth. Messi endured painful final defeats in the 2007, 2015, and 2016 Copa América tournaments, as well as the 2014 World Cup final loss to Germany. After the crushing 2016 Copa América final defeat to Chile, a devastated Messi announced his international retirement on the spot — only to reverse the decision weeks later following an outpouring of support from fans, saying he loved the shirt and his country too much to walk away.
This time, the decision appears final. Messi closes his international career at 39 years old, still under contract with Inter Miami in MLS, where he continues to perform at a high level — scoring four goals in a 7-1 win over CF Montreal just days before this announcement.
For a generation of football fans, this marks the true end of an era — the final chapter of a career that redefined greatness in the sport.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story//id/49266819/lionel-messi-argentina-international-retirement-world-cup-copa-america
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