Lionel Messi Retires From Argentina National Team After 21 Years and 125 Goals

Lionel Messi is done playing for Argentina.

The 39-year-old announced his retirement from international soccer Monday in an Instagram post, closing out 21 years with the national team, according to NBC News, NPR and The Athletic (NYT). Messi made his Argentina debut in 2005 at age 18. He leaves as the country's all-time leader in appearances (207) and goals (125), with 68 assists, per NBC News.

"It was a decision that hurt, and still hurts, to my core, but I understand that it's the right time," Messi wrote, in a translation carried by the Daily Mail. "I swear that I always gave my all, not just in the last few years when we won everything, but before that too."

The Timing

Messi didn't write this the day he announced it. He told fans he drafted the retirement letter on July 21, two days after Argentina's 1-0 extra-time loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, according to NPR and ABC30. He sat on it.

His father, Jorge Messi, who also worked as his agent, was fighting an illness at the time. Jorge died August 8 in Rosario, Argentina, at 68, per NPR. Messi said that loss, not the World Cup defeat, is what pushed him to finally publish the letter.

"Today, after what happened with my dad, I am even more convinced than before," Messi wrote, according to E! Online. Earlier in August, before the announcement, Messi had already told reporters he was unsure how much longer he'd keep playing at all following his father's death. TMZ and E! both flagged this detail from prior reporting.

The Résumé

Messi played in six World Cups, tied with Cristiano Ronaldo for the most by any men's player, according to The Athletic. He reached three finals: a loss to Germany in 2014, the title in 2022, and this year's loss to Spain.

The 2022 win in Qatar, where Messi scored seven goals, gave Argentina its first World Cup since 1986 and finally answered the question that hung over his career for a decade, per NBC News. He also won back-to-back Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, ending a 28-year drought for Argentina in that tournament, according to USA Today.

Messi briefly became the all-time World Cup scoring leader during this summer's tournament, passing Germany's Miroslav Klose with 21 career goals. That record lasted about a month. France's Kylian Mbappé scored twice in the third-place game against England to finish with 22, retaking the mark, according to The Athletic and NBC News. Cristiano Ronaldo still holds the men's international scoring record overall with 146 goals to Messi's 125, and has not announced his own international retirement, per NPR.

Not the First Time He Walked Away

This isn't Messi's first retirement announcement. After Argentina lost its third straight major final in 2016, this one on penalties to Chile in the Copa América Centenario, Messi told reporters, "For me, the national team is over. I've done all I can," according to NBC News. He reversed course and came back, eventually delivering the trophies that had eluded him.

There's no indication this time is reversible. Messi is 39, and the next major tournaments on Argentina's calendar, the 2028 Copa América and the 2030 World Cup (partly hosted in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), would put him at 41 and 43 respectively, according to The Athletic.

What's Next

Messi isn't retiring from soccer. He remains under contract with Inter Miami in MLS through 2028, according to CBS Sports. USA Today reported the Argentine soccer federation is expected to organize a tribute match, though no date has been set and it's unclear whether Messi will get a formal farewell appearance on Argentine soil.

Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul posted a tribute on Instagram thanking Messi for his "unconditional love for our country," per the Daily Mail. Coverage across outlets was largely uniform on the facts. CBS Sports and NYT's The Athletic leaned into the statistical legacy and Messi's place among Diego Maradona and Pelé, while TMZ and E! Online focused more on the personal toll of his father's death.

The open question is whether Messi ever takes the field for Argentina again in any capacity, competitive or ceremonial, before the 2030 World Cup arrives on home soil.