Argentina football legend Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football after making 207 appearances for the national team.
The 39-year-old, who made his Argentina debut in 2005, leaves international football as the country’s most-capped player and all-time leading scorer, with 125 goals.
Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022 and also won two Copa América titles. He was also part of Argentina teams that finished runners-up at the 2014 World Cup and this summer’s tournament.
In announcing his decision, Messi said the choice was painful but that he believed the time had come to bring his international career to an end.
“It was a decision that hurt – and still hurts deep down – but I understand that the time has come,” Messi said.
“Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team. I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give.”
Messi said he had written his retirement statement on July 21, two days after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat by Spain, but the recent death of his father, Jorge, strengthened his decision to make it public.
Despite ending his international career, Messi will continue playing at club level with Inter Miami, where his contract runs until the end of the 2028 season.
His first attempt at international retirement came in 2016 after Argentina lost the Copa América final to Chile, but he later returned and went on to achieve the biggest honours of his career with the national team.
Messi thanked Argentine supporters for their support throughout his two-decade international career, saying he would now cheer for the national team from the sidelines.
